


Jealous

by Inbetween_days



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial, Drinking, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Just to be safe, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Newt being So British, Oblivious Newt (Maze Runner), Oblivious Thomas (Maze Runner), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pet Names, Requited Love, Slow Burn, Star Wars Spoilers, Stupidity, Sunsets, Tags May Change, Underage Drinking, Vomiting, a literal stereotype, god i love them, i just dont like teresa sorry, idk just in case, if that's how you spell it, ignorance, lots of hickeys, mainly fluff tbh, movies - Freeform, occasional coffee shop, platonic minewt, pre- Thomesa, puking, self doubt, the angst will get worse, theyre really dumb so it's probably gonna take a while, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26012521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inbetween_days/pseuds/Inbetween_days
Summary: "Why d'you even want to do this anyway?" Newt asked."Teresa cheated, you know that." He sat back, crossing his arms. "I wanna give her a taste of her own medicine ya know?"Newt nodded. He could understand wanting revenge. And, boy, was he good at revenge.
Relationships: Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner), Teresa Agnes/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Comments: 82
Kudos: 210
Collections: Pieces of Newtmas





	1. Hear me out

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm still pretty new to this so just bear with me lol. I dont know how long this will be but I do know that I will try and update as often as I can, weekly at the least. Thank you! <3

"I have a proposition for you."

"I thought we were supposed to be studying Tommy," Newt motioned towards the books strewn across the library table. They had a big chemistry test tomorrow and Thomas had been.. falling behind so to say. "Don't you wanna pass tomorrow?"

"Just hear me out,"

"Fine." Newt looked at Thomas, "Go on then."

Thomas let out a small sigh of victory, "Okay so you know how me and Teresa broke up awhile back?" Thomas eyed him from across the table.

"Yeah," Newt nodded.

"Well, I was hoping you'd help me make her jealous."

"Jealous?" Thomas replied with a nod. "And how, exactly, do you want me to do that?"

"Uhh.. byfakedatingme?" Thomas spat out all at once. 

"By fake dating you? You've got to be kidding me." Newt rolled his eyes, a small chuckle escaping his lips. 

"Please, Newt, I'll do anything you want. Swear." Thomas had his hands clasped together like he was praying to Newt. Maybe he was. 

"Tommy I- I don't know," Newt looked at Thomas, puppy eyes and all. He could feel his resolve cracking second by second. Damn.

"Fine." Thomas was going to be the end of him.

"Yes!" Thomas pumped his hand in the air, eyes to the heavens. "Thank you thank you thank you!" He reached across the table to, awkwardly nonetheless, hug his best friend. 

"So, do you have a plan?"

"A what?"

"A plan Tommy, jesus, you came up with this big idea and you haven't even come up with a plan?" Newt barked a laugh, "Unbelievable." He shook his head.

"In my defense," Thomas raised a hand, "I didn't think you were gonna say yes."

"Why not?" Newt asked, curious.

"I, uh- I don't know, I just didn't expect it," Thomas stammered, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. His hand fell back to the table and started fidgeting with his sleeve.

"I'm only joking Tommy," Newt smiled. "But, in all seriousness, you're probably going to need an actual plan."

"What for?" Thomas asked, contemplating.

"Bloody hell Tommy," Newt sighed. "We at least need a slightly believable backstory."

"Right, uh... oh! Okay how about this: after me and Teresa broke up, you comforted me and we ended up spending a lot of time together."

"More than we already do?"

"Yes more than we already do you shank." Thomas squinted at him with an annoyed look painted across his face, "That, combined with our years of friendship, caused us to realize we like each other." He finished, "It makes sense, right?"

Newt mulled it over. It was simple enough really, it could work. 

"Why’d you even want to do this anyway?" Newt asked.

"Teresa cheated, you know that." He sat back, crossing his arms. "I wanna give her a taste of her own medicine ya know?"

Newt nodded. He could understand wanting revenge.  _ And, boy, was he good at revenge. _

-

Thomas and Newt decided to meet up at the park after school to further formulate their plan. 

"How should we tell everyone?" Thomas had wracked his brain all day but to no avail.

Newt considered this for a minute. "What if we didn't? What if we just started, I don't know... holding hands or something and just let them figure it out on their own?"

"It  _ would _ be easier," Thomas tilted his head. "But we're gonna have to do more than hold hands Newt."

"How far do you think we have to take it?" Newt glanced at Thomas. He didn't know how far he'd be willing to go. He didn't want things to get weird. 

"As far as you're comfortable with I guess. Is there anything you definitely  _ don't _ want to do?" Thomas was willing to do as much as necessary but he didn't want to overstep Newt's boundaries.

"Umm... just don't expect me to make out with you I suppose," Newt let out a breathy laugh, just the thought of him and Tommy doing  _ that _ made his face flush.

"So you’d be okay with kissing every now and then?" Thomas looked at Newt, completely serious. "Not all the time obviously, but just enough to get the point across."

"Yeah. So, d'you wanna head to your house or something?" Newt  _ really _ wanted to change the subject. 

"Sure." Thomas led the way.


	2. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you want to practice?" He asked, eyes not moving away from the screen.
> 
> "What?" Newt's head snapped to the side, facing his best friend.
> 
> "You know, kissing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably sort of a filler chapter? I'm not really sure, I just like writing about smaller moments throughout their day. 
> 
> Newts pov

Once they arrived they agreed to watch a movie. They settled on Clueless, a classic. Just as Tai was showing up Thomas broke the silence.

"Do you want to practice?" He asked, eyes not moving away from the screen.

" _ What _ ?" Newt's head snapped to the side, facing his best friend.

"You know, kissing. We can't be all awkward and clumsy when we do it in front of others, it'll be suspicious." He sat up, crossing his legs. He looked at Newt like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Newt's mouth went dry. He wasn't expecting this. "I- yeah, sure." He sat up, mirroring Thomas' position. 

Thomas looked at him again, waiting for further confirmation. Newt nodded and leaned in, stopping just short of an inch in front of Thomas' face. He made eye contact with him, he wanted Thomas to take the lead on this one. So, he did.

They're still for a second, then begin moving their lips once reality sets in. And as quickly as the kiss began, it ends. Thomas pulls away while Newt stayed in place for just a moment longer.

Newt's pretty sure his brain has short-circuited. Once he realizes he hasn't moved yet, he pulls back as if he were burned.

Thomas quirks a brow, "You okay?"

Newt can only nod.  _ What is wrong with me? _ he thinks.  _ It's only Tommy,  _ he shakes his head to clear his thoughts. There's nothing wrong with him, it's just weird because they're best friends.  _ Right? _

Thomas shrugged, laying down and resuming his position from earlier. Newt sits ramrod straight for about 5 minutes before trying to settle back into his original spot, but no matter how hard he tries, he just can't get comfortable.

-

They finish the movie and decide to put on another. It's barely halfway through when Newt's eyes begin to droop. He tries to stay awake, but Thomas' bed is just so warm. He doesn't try to stay awake anymore.

Someone's talking, but he can’t make out what they're saying. He doesn't try to either. He snuggles further into the covers. Said person gently shakes his shoulder.  _ Can they not see that I’m asleep? _ Newt groans, and opens his eyes just barely. He sees Tommy, the side of his face illuminated by the glow of the TV. The movie's over.

"Newt?" Thomas says, voice barely above a whisper.

"Mmm, yeah?"

"My mom made dinner if you want some."

After a long internal debate, and growling stomach, Newt opens his eyes. He sits up and stretches, his hands above his head. His lower back emits a soft pop. "Sorry," he wipes the sleep from his eyes.

Thomas gives him a small smile, "S'okay."

"What did she make?” Newt asks as he climbs out of Thomas’ bed and starts to make his way downstairs to the kitchen.

“Uh, pasta, I think,” Thomas answers.

Turns out Thomas is right. They grab plates from the cabinet and fill their plates. Just after they’re sitting down, Thomas’ mom comes over and kisses her son on the forehead.

“Sorry boys, I've got second shift and I'm already a little late.” she glances down at her watch. “Don’t get into too much trouble,” she jokes. Then, she's out the door with a hasty ‘love you’ thrown over her shoulder.

Thomas and Newt eat mostly in silence, a few small comments here and there spoken between bites.

"You wanna stay the night?" Thomas asks as they place their dishes in the sink. 

"Sure, just let me call my dad so he knows where I'm at."

"Cool."

Newt steps into the other room to make the call. When he returns, Thomas greets him with a mug of hot chocolate. 

"Thanks Tommy," Newt smiles,  _ he knows I love hot cocoa.  _ Thomas only shrugs.

"Bet I can beat your ass in Mario kart," Thomas says as they head back into his room.

"Oh you're on," Newt smirks.

He and Thomas go a few rounds, sipping their mugs in between. They've been tied mostly, trading wins back and forth.

"For fucks sake." Thomas tosses his remote on his bed, raising his hands in the air and sighing in defeat.

"Face it Tommy, I'm better than you. It's a fact." Newt smirked. He just won the last round, finishing in 1st place compared to Thomas' poor 7th. 

"Oh whatever, you are not," Thomas rolled his eyes. 

"Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are  _ not! _ " Thomas accentuated the phrase by whacking Newt in the back of the head with a nearby pillow. 

"Oh now you've gone too far," Newt could see the pure fear that passed on Thomas' face before being replaced by determination. He stands, pillow in hand. Newt matches him, fully prepared to fight to the death.

They square off, " _ Go! _ " Thomas shouts, signaling the beginning of the match.

The only sounds filling the room are their laughs and the thumps of pillows colliding. They go on like this for nearly ten minutes. It ends with them lying side by side on the floor, chests heaving.

“I totally won that one,” Thomas says between breaths.

“No you didn’t you twat,” Newt laughs. Then, he is promptly smacked in the face by Thomas’ pillow.

Thomas yelps as he jumps into his bed, curled up in the corner with his pillow held up as a shield. 

“You’re lucky I'm tired,” breathes Newt, amusement laced in his tone. He flops down onto the bed next to Thomas, whose cheeks are red from the fight, hair a disheveled mess, and eyes alight with excitement.  _ He looks pretty,  _ Newt thinks. 

“I’m tired too,” Thomas huffs, he closes his eyes and yawns. “What time is it anyways?” Newt grabs his phone from the bedside table.

“Uh, about 1:30 AM.”

Thomas’ eyes fly open, “Oh my god Newt! We have to go to bed!”

“Why?” Newt asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

Thomas looks at him, “The test tomorrow you idiot!”

“Oh, it is, isn’t it.” Newt finds his spot on the right side of the bed and crawls towards it. Him and Thomas have slept in the same bed since, well, since as long as they can remember. 

“Thomas turns off the lights before climbing into bed across from Newt. He looks at Newt, head lying on his hand, “You sure you don’t mind doing this?”

Newt yawns, he can feel sleep calling out to him already. “Doing what Tommy?” He shuffles into a comfortable position, facing Thomas.

“Fake dating me,” Thomas answers.

Newt rolls his eyes,”No Tommy, I don’t mind. If I did, I wouldn’t have said yes,” He replies matter of factly. “Now, can we go to sleep please?” He looks up at Thomas, eyes drooping.

Thomas scans his face, for what, Newt doesn’t know. “Yeah, sorry. Goodnight Newt.”

“Night Tommy.”


	3. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho and Brenda looked at their hands, confusion crossing their features before realization. They looked at each other with small knowing smirks.
> 
> “Ugh, finally,” Minho muttered.
> 
> “Finally what?” Newt asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we're getting somewhere!! Once I get started it gets soooooo much easier. Anyways, I like this chapter, I think it's pretty good. But tell me what you think of it too!! <3
> 
> Thomas pov

It's so warm.  _ Too _ warm. Thomas tries to move so that he can throw his blanket off of him. He can't, something’s on top of his arm, which is numb. He tries again but the thing on his arms shifts with him, squirming before settling back down. Thomas opens his eyes. 

The thing on his arm is Newt. That’s why he can’t move. His back is facing Thomas, pressed flush against him. It's happened before, it was always inevitable really. Two people in a bed together, it's no surprise that they’d end up cuddling sometime in the night. It’s nice too. Most guys would think it’s gross or something but it’s never bothered Thomas. 

Thomas looks down at his blond, sunkissed hair highlighted by the morning sun filtering through the blinds. Thomas has always liked Newt’s hair, it's always shiny, and it  _ is _ as soft as it looks. Sometimes Thomas finds himself wanting to run his hands through it at random times throughout the day. Even when it's messed up from sleep, it's still pretty. 

_ Pretty.  _ Thomas thinks.  _ Is it normal to think your best friend is “pretty?” Do most people think about that?  _ He figures they do, I mean, it's not weird to appreciate your friend’s looks.  _ Right? _

Thomas would love to stay in bed and go back to sleep, but his bladder is almost crying at this point. He attempts to move his arm and scoot back as smoothly as he can, not wanting to wake Newt. He is unfortunately not successful. 

“Tommy?” Newt's voice is gravelly from sleep. Thomas never noticed that before. “What’re you doin’?” He looked over his shoulder at Thomas, eyes still partially closed.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up.” He finished moving out from under Newt. “S’nothing, go back to sleep.” Newt nodded, laying back down.  _ Cute. _

Once Thomas has relieved himself, he goes down to the kitchen for some breakfast. He decides to make pancakes, a sort of apology for waking Newt up. He looks up when Newt walks in, soft steps padding into the kitchen. He’s rubbing at his face trying to wake himself up.  _ He’s never really been a morning person.  _ Thomas notes.

“Morning,” Thomas tells him. Newt only groans, waving a hand at him in dismissal. Thomas laughs. “Did you sleep well?”

“Till you woke me up, you shank.” he sat down at the bar.

“I tried not to, but I really had to pee,” Thomas pouts, throwing in puppy eyes for good measure. “Besides, I’m making your favorite! Pancakes!”

Newt only looked at him. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he said, but he didn’t sound annoyed at all. But he mumbled a small, “Thanks,” under his breath.  _ He’s literally the most polite person I’ve ever met. _

“After breakfast can we drop by my house so I can get dressed?” Newt questions.

Thomas glances over at him, “You’ve still got those clothes left over from last week that you left here. They’re washed and everything if you just wanna wear those.” Newt had spent the weekend at Thomas’ house and accidentally left without them so they had ended up in Thomas’ hamper. “That way we don't have to leave so early.” He added.  _ And so I can spend more time with you. _

“Oh yeah, thanks mate,” Newt replied as he grabbed plates and silverware from their respective cabinet and drawer and placed them next to the stove where Thomas was cooking.

“No problem. Pancakes are ready.” He placed them on both plates, three on each one.

“Thank you,” Newt sighed as Thomas placed the plate in front of him. Even his eyes looked hungry, if that was even possible. Thomas chuckled. “Care to share what is so funny?” Newt asked through a mouthful of pancakes.

“Nothing, just you.” Thomas sat down next to him.”You’re practically drooling.”

“I am not,” Newt said indignantly, continuing to devour his food.

“You are! You’re basically inhaling it.”

“Lying is a sin, Thomas.” He chastised. 

“Yeah, ok,” Thomas replied sarcastically. He got to work on his pancakes, eating them at a pace nearly equal to Newt’s.

After breakfast, Thomas went to get Newts clothes from the laundry room and brought them back to him in his room. Thomas went to his closet to get his own clothes for school, he took off his shirt and turned around to get something out of his dresser only to be greeted by a half-dressed Newt. He froze.

“Are you going to turn around or just stare all day Tommy.” Newt rolled his eyes, seemingly unaffected by Thomas’ staring.

“Uh, yeah sorry,” Thomas stammered, a pronounced blush upon his cheeks.  _ What am I doing? It’s not like I haven’t seen him like this before?  _ He reflected.  _ What is going on with me today?  _ He shook his head to clear his mind.

He finished getting dressed facing the closet, trying to refrain from peeking over his shoulder. When Newt left to go brush his teeth Thomas sighed, why was he acting so weird? Thomas decided that it was because he was still tired. He waited for Newt to finish in the bathroom before he went in. When he came out he went downstairs in search of Newt and his shoes.

“Newt, you ready?” he called out.

“Yeah, just a second.” Newt came into the hall from the living room. “Sorry, had to grab my jacket.”

“It’s cool, come on, we don't wanna be late.”

-

One short car ride later, Thomas was a walking ball of nerves on their way into school. He’d been studying for nearly a week now but he was still anxious about it. Newt held his hand out and looked at him in silent question. Thomas took it without thinking. They made their way to first-period chemistry. They sat down at their usual table in the back of the classroom. Minho and Brenda glanced at their intertwined hands before Newt and Thomas sat down next to them.

“Hey Tommy-boy, you ready for this test?” Minho asked, smiling.

Thomas only groaned. “Definitely  _ not. _ ” he slumped in his chair, smacking his head onto the desk. 

“You’ve been studying all week, you’ll be fine,” Brenda assured him.

Newt nodded in agreement, “She’s right Tommy,” He sat down next to Thomas “Just calm down.” He gave his hand a squeeze. Once again, Minho and Brenda looked at their hands, confusion crossing their features before realization. They looked at each other with small knowing smirks.

“Ugh, finally,” Minho muttered.

“Finally what?” Newt asked.

Before he could get an answer the bell rang and the teacher called for their attention as class was starting. He passed out the test before sitting back down at his desk.

“Begin.”

There was a flurry of papers being flipped and pencils scribbling down names as the test started. Thomas looked down at the paper, there were only 30 questions thankfully. He figured he had around 2 minutes per question if he wanted to finish on time. He still hadn’t answered anything when Newt gave him a nudge.

“You’ve got this.” Newt gave him a small smile. Thomas searched face for any doubt, there wasn’t any.  _ I can do this,  _ he said to himself. He picked up his pencil and got to work.

-

“D’you think you did okay?” Brenda asked as she walked backwards. It probably wasn’t the best idea since they were in a busy high school hallway, but she seemed to be doing fine. 

“I think so, yeah.” They were headed to their English class while Minho and Newt went to History. He was fairly confident in himself. The studying combined with his friend’s affirmations seemed to help. He’d finished earlier than he thought he would, despite usually being one of the last ones to turn their paper in. But, then again, he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.

“I’m sure you did great.” She turned, finally facing the direction she was walking. “And I’m glad you got that whole situation with Newt figured out.” She glanced back, giving him a small smirk.

“Situation? What do you mean ‘situation’?” Thomas’ face scrunched up in confusion.

“Oh come on, you two have been pining over each other since day one. With all looks and all the touching." She wiggled her fingers. "It's a miracle you guys finally realised it.” She stated like it was obvious.

“We were not ‘pining’, but, regardless, we’re together now so it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“Thank god.”

-

After sitting through English, he went to Art class and was greeted by Chuck, a freshman who, somehow, had joined his friend group of juniors. They all loved him like a little brother, though. 

He sat down next to him, “Hey, what’cha doin’?”

“Hey, Chuck. Nothing really, I’m just finishing that self-portrait thing.” Thomas told him.

“Wasn’t that due, like, last week?”

“Yeah… but we don’t talk about that,” they both laughed. Chuck grabbed his and Thomas’ clay pots from the shelf in the back of the room before offering to turn in Thomas’ self-portrait. Once he came back, he sat down next to Thomas and they began working.

“So…” Chuck started, “I heard that you and Newt finally got together.” There it was again, that ‘finally.’

“Why does everyone keep saying ‘finally’, why is that?” He was beginning to get frustrated. 

“Well you two have been crushing on each other for a long time now, we didn’t know how long it was gonna be till you guys figured it out.” He shrugged. 

“Well, I guess we’ve figured it out now.”

“Yeah,” Chuck smiled at him, “I guess you have. I’m happy for you.”

Thomas looked at the younger boy, “Thanks Chuck.” He always was a sweetheart. 

“So what made you guys get together?” Chuck asked, eyes focused on his clay.

“Uh, well.”  _ How should I word this?  _ He thought “I guess it was after Teresa and I broke up. We started hanging out more and I guess we realised that we’d liked each other for a long time.”

“That’s really nice. What’re some of your favorite things about him?” The boy questioned, trying to make small talk. 

Thomas only had to think for a moment, it was unsurprisingly easy to list off things about Newt. “I like the way he laughs. It’s so nice, especially when he scrunches up his face. And he’s so polite. Even when he’s trying to be sarcastic or mean, he just can't help it. I suppose that’s the Englishman in him,” He laughed, semi-focused on his pot. “His eyes are really pretty too, they’re such a deep brown that they’re nearly black. And when he’s mad they get darker, it’s cute really. His hair is another one of my favorites, it’s color is so… rich. It’s like wheat gold honey.”

Once Thomas finished his small speech, he looked over at Chuck, who had stopped working on his pot to stare at Thomas.

“You really like him, don’t you.”

“Yeah, I do.” The blush that covered Thomas’ cheeks was unmistakable. 


	4. Finally (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Newt! Did you and Thomas fina-" his voice was almost as loud as Harriet's.
> 
> "I'm gonna stop you right there," Newt held up his hand, "Yes Tommy and I got together. Please quiet down." Frypan beamed. A small 'finally' escaping in his sigh as he sat down. 
> 
> Why does everyone keep saying that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is just Newt's school day, much like Thomas'. And sorry for all the short chapters, the next one is MUCH longer i swear. But anyways, enjoy!!
> 
> Newt's pov

Minho kept giving Newt looks all throughout English. _He looks so smug, that asshole._ Newt let out a sigh. "Why d'you keep looking at me like that?" He scrunched his face up in frustration. It was beginning to get annoying.

"Oh it's nothing," Minho chuckled, not looking at Newt.

"It's obviously something you shank, you keep looking at me like you know something I don't and it's starting to make me a little mad," Newt huffed. He wasn't mad, not really, you could tell from his voice. He just wanted Minho to tell him is all.

Minho smirked _again_ and said, "It's just you and Thomas. I'm glad you two figured it out." Newt just looked at him, cheeks red. "You guys have been lovesick for each other since forever." He drawled on like it was obvious.

"Was it really that clear?" Newt was baffled, to say the least. He hadn't really thought about it until he started fake dating Thomas. He guessed it would make sense for other people to think they had _something_ going on, they were fairly affectionate. But they were only friends. Newt was just doing this to help his _Friend._

"Totally obvious. What made you two finally get together anyways?" Minho accentuated the 'finally' like he did earlier in Chemistry. At least he and Thomas had come up with a backstory or he would be in _big_ trouble right about now.

"Uh, well," Newt stammered, "I guess it was after Teresa and he broke up. We started hanging out more and I guess we realised that we’d liked each other for a long time.” It sounded terribly rehearsed but it was the best Newt could come up with.

"That was why?" Minho squinted at him accusingly.

"Yep," Newt said, popping the 'p'. He desperately wanted to change the subject or else his blush would get worse, and that can _not_ happen. 

"Yeah, ok," Minho scoffed. But, he did drop the subject to Newt's delight. Now all he had to do was try and pay attention in class without letting his thoughts drift back to Thomas. It was surprisingly hard.

-

Newt had Pre-cal next. One of his easier classes, he wasn't too worried about it. Until he remembered that Teresa was in that class too. _Fuck._ But he also had Frypan and Harriet. 

He slid into class just before the bell rang, he was walking as slowly as possible trying to prolong his time before having to face the witch known as Teresa. She had started out nice really, but as time went on she got worse and worse. She was quite selfish and would talk about them behind their backs. Then came the cheating scandal. Thomas had been nearly broken. Especially since he knew the guy that it had happened with.

His name was Aris Jones. Pretty nice guy but he was known to sleep around a little bit. There was nothing wrong with it until Teresa became another name on his fairly long list. She claimed it was a mistake and a one-time thing. That she had been drunk and didn't know what she was doing. But Thomas had known better, she was a fantastic liar and he was not going to fall for it again. 

He sat down next to Harriet, another one of his study buddies who happened to have a "special relationship" with his little sister Sonya. They all knew what was going on but decided not to call them out on it, letting them live in their own little world for just a while longer. "Hey," he greets.

Harriet just smiled in return. "So, I heard," Newt groaned, _here we go again._ "I heard," she repeats, a little more force behind her words, "that you and Thomas finally got together! I'm so happy for you guys!" She clapped her hands together softly.

"You wanna try that again? A little louder maybe? I don't think the witch heard you." He rolled his eyes just as Frypan sat down next to them. But, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Teresa visibly freeze for a second before continuing whatever she was doing. Newt smirked a little bit, their plan was working.

"Newt! Did you and Thomas fina-" his voice was almost as loud as Harriet's.

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Newt held up his hand, "Yes Tommy and I got together. Please quiet down." Frypan beamed. A small 'finally' escaping in his sigh as he sat down. 

It was Newt's turn to smack his head against his desk. _Why does everyone keep saying 'finally'? I mean, yeah we were affectionate but that's what most best friends do right?_ Multiple thoughts and doubts filled his head. **_But you know you think of him as more than that, don't you? _ ** A small voice in his head had teased. It was right though. Newt had caught himself staring at Tommy all the time. It was beginning to become a problem.

He found himself wanting to hold Thomas' hand at random times during the day and relishing at any contact between them. He craved it even. Just to feel Thomas' hand slide across his shoulder in passing was barely enough to quench his yearning. He had caught himself staring at Tommy's lips from time to time, usually pink from how often Thomas chewed on his lips. Newt wanted to soothe his worried lips with his own. _Okay, that's_ **_definitely_ ** _not normal for best friends to think about._

He was snapped out of his trance by Frypan nudging him in his side. "You okay dude?" He looked a little worried about him.

"Yeah, fine, just spaced out a little. Sorry." Frypan didn't look convinced at Newt's reply but shrugged, deciding not to question him further. 

Once again, Newt had trouble focusing in class. 

-

After school, Newt met Thomas by his car. Seeing as he was Newt's ride here, he would also be his ride home. "How was your day?" He asked his soon to be driver.

Thomas groaned, "Annoying." He opened his car door with a little more than needed force. "Yours?"

"Probably the same. Did everyone keep saying 'finally' to you too? Cause it was all I heard today." He climbed into the passenger. His usual spot, worn down from the years of him sitting in it. A permanent print of his body in it.

"Yes! It was _so_ annoying," Thomas huffed as he turned the key to start his car. _His hands look nice today._ Newt shook himself so he could focus. Albeit poorly. _Get it together Newt._

"But, I'm pretty sure Teresa heard about it." He buckled his seatbelt, "I saw her in pre-cal today. And she looked quite mad when I passed her in the hall too." His lips turned up into a small smirk before dropping entirely. _What would happen when Thomas knew that he had succeeded in making her jealous? Would they just drop it and go back to being best friends?_ Newt found that he didn't like that scenario. "But I think we should keep going for a while, just to make her extra mad, of course," he assured.

Thomas looked at him oddly for a second. Damn, he must've picked up on Newt's mood. "For sure." They pulled out of the parking lot. "So am I taking you home or do you wanna head back to my house again?"

"Home please, I've got a lot of homework to do and all my stuff is there." Newt could've sworn he saw something like disappointment cross Thomas' face before he replied. 

"Okay, me too." He smiled as he made his way to Newt's house.

-

Newt waved at Thomas through the window before opening his front door. Tommy had, of course, waited before driving off to make sure Newt made it in okay. _Such a gentleman_. Newt let out a small chuckle. 

Okay so, maybe he had lied about the amount of homework he had. It wasn't much at all actually, just some from his Psych class. But he needed time to think. Time to sort things out. He walked to his room, noticing the note left by his dad about him staying late at work and the one left behind from Sonya stating she was spending the night at Harriet's. Figures. He had wanted to see his dad a little at least, but it was okay. Now he had some alone time to get himself together.

_What is going on?_ He sat his bag down and fell onto his bed. _It's just Tommy, he's been your best friend since elementary school. You've known him your whole life. Why are you thinking about holding hands with him? About cuddling with him? And especially, why are you thinking about_ **_kissing_ ** _him? Best friends don't think about that kind of stuff._

Newt pulled out his books, laying them on the bed. He got his homework out and started on it. It didn't take much focus, it was easy work. He was just going through the motions at this point. His mind kept drifting back to Tommy. Which was what he wanted to come home and think about anyways. He had to figure out why he was thinking about this kind of stuff. It was obvious really, but Newt didn't want to acknowledge that.

Once he had finished his work, he turned on his TV and chose a random station, not intending to actually watch it. His mind went back to his pre-cal thoughts. 

He thought about all the little touches he and Thomas shared. Their knees pressed together anytime they sat next together. The occasional arm that Tommy would throw over his shoulder. The way he would reach for Thomas when he was scared or upset. The way Tommy comforted him each time. How he was there for Newt when he had some of his darker episodes. The soft way Thomas woke him up. The way Tommy _looked at him._

He thought about all his favorite things about Thomas. How his hair would fluff up if he forgot to put product in it. The freckles that painted his face and shoulders. Oh, how Newt wanted to worship those freckles, to count and kiss each and every one. How strong yet gentle his hands were. The little smile that would cross his lips at the smallest of things. The way he would bite his lower lip in concentration. And his eyes. Oh, his eyes were definitely Newt's absolute favorite thing about Thomas, his favorite thing in the world really. They were like burnt honey, like chestnuts in the sun. Newt loved those eyes. They felt like _home_.

Newt groaned, covered his face with his hands, rolled over, and promptly screamed into his pillow.

He liked Thomas. 

_Fuck._


	5. Freezing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt only grinned, climbing next Thomas. He laid his head on Thomas’ chest, laying an arm across his torso and the other behind his back. He curled a leg around Thomas’. “Ugh, thank you,” Newt hummed, “You’re like a heater.”
> 
> “And you’re like a block of ice,” Thomas hissed, throwing his arm around Newts middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is longer than the other chapters, they were around 1.5k each but this ones like 3.7k, so.... yeah. I liked writing this chapter, there's a part I'm not so sure about but I figured what the hell, right?

Thomas stepped through the front door, throwing his keys into the bowl next to it. His mom greets him with a smile. He can only give her a distracted 'hey' before heading to his room. He set his bag down on his bed before closing the door.

He hadn't lied to Newt about his homework situation though. He really did have a lot of homework. He had a paper due for history, a worksheet for his math class, and a 3-page essay for English. He sighed, crashing face-first into his bed. He _really_ didn't want to do this. 

He considered going to Newt's and asking for help but then remembered that Newt had his own workload to complete. He rolled over, staring at the ceiling. Thomas was a really bad procrastinator, always turning things in at the last minute. He knew he needed to try and not procrastinate with everything but he simply couldn't. He sat up, grabbing his laptop from off his desk, and tried to start working on his essay.

2 hours later Thomas only had a page and a half completed. He groaned, closing his laptop. He then pulled out the worksheet due next Monday. Again, he tried to work, this time for only 45 mins, but got hardly anywhere. Only a few questions had been marked. Multiple were skipped and left blank because Thomas simply did not have enough brainpower to attempt to try them.

Throwing his laptop, books, and papers into his bag, he decided that he was going to go over to Newt's and ask for help. _Newt's smart, he's probably finished by now,_ he tried to convince himself. It totally _wasn't_ because he missed Newt. It most certainly was not. He just needs help with his homework, that's all. 

It's around 8pm when he pulls into Newt's driveway. He marches up to his door but hesitates before knocking. _Was he being too clingy?_ He dismisses his thought and knocks on the door twice. It takes a few minutes and just as Thomas is about to knock again the door flies open.

"Why's it always you?" Newt's voice is thick with his accent, especially since he just woke up. He's in a wrinkled white shirt, grey sweatpants, and adorning very fuzzy green socks. He looks like a kid, his lithe frame barely visible through the wrinkles and bags of the oversized clothes. Thomas stares for a second before realising he has to reply. 

"Uh," Newt looks at him expectantly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping, I can come back tomorrow if you want." He motioned back towards his car. He _really_ hoped Newt would let him stay. That Newt would actually _want_ him to stay.

"No, no it's alright. Come in," Newt yawns, stepping aside and motioning for Thomas to step inside. "What're you doing here anyways?" 

Thomas looks back at Newt as they head to his room. Thomas doesn't need Newt to lead him to know where it is. "I, uh- I need help with my homework." He stands beside the door, waiting for Newt to open it.

Newt rolls his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. But he lets him in, nonetheless. Newt's room is cozy, it always has been. His bed is in the middle covered with _amazingly_ soft sheets, about four pillows total. _But Newt only ever uses one,_ Thomas thinks. He has a desk tucked into the corner of his room with a small bookshelf next to it. Among the books are small little oddities, little trinkets left behind by friends and family. Newt has Thomas' ugly little statue of a frog and mushroom on the top shelf.

Thomas laid his bag on Newt's desk, careful with it because of its contents, and turned around in time to see Newt lay down on the bed. He was popped on one of his hands, the elbow bent and pressing into the bed, with his legs curled up. Thomas pulled out his things and sat down on Newt's bed with them.

“So is there anything in particular you’re struggling with?” Newt asks him, taking each thing and looking at them, separating them by class.

“Uh, not really. I mean, all of it mostly, but I just couldn’t focus so..” Thomas glanced down at his work feeling a bit embarrassed.

“So you came over here?” There’s a slightly higher tone to his voice. _He thinks I’m stupid._

Thomas looked up at him, giving him a small smile. “Mmm, yeah.” Newt just laughed. But Thomas could tell it wasn’t _at_ him, Newt just thought Thomas’ thought process could be a little, weird, so to say. 

“Alright Tommy.” Newt grinned at him, “What do you want to start with first?”

-

“See? I told you that you could do it,” Newt smirked at him as Thomas put away his things. They’d only been working for maybe an hour, hour and a half. Things moved along much quicker when he was with Newt. You’d think it’d be the opposite, but Newt somehow centered Thomas, it was both hard and easy to focus around Newt. Thomas could get distracted by the little things, like when Newt’s brows would pull together when he was trying to work the harder problems out, how gently he would hold his pen, and how he hardly ever messed up. The way his fingers would scan the pages as he read. Newt was able to help him in a way that no one else could. He calms Thomas down enough that he can focus and actually get work done. He centers Thomas, keeps him level headed. Newt won’t let Thomas make silly mistakes when he does things without thinking first, he just helps Thomas think. 

“Thanks for helping me.” Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. He really was grateful for the help, he just wished he didn’t need it. 

“No problem mate,” Newt grabbed his shoulder squeezing once and then letting go. Thomas’ skin tingled for a second. _Weird,_ he thought. Thomas never felt dumb around him, he knew that he could ask questions and Newt would always be patient. 

“You know,” Thomas cleared his throat, “You should probably stop calling me ‘mate’. Couples usually use pet names or something.” _Call me love, please. Please, you don't know what I’d do to hear it, just once._ **_Why do you want to be called “love” by Newt? He’s your best friend, you don't want to ruin it, do you?_ ** Thomas shook his head, This is all supposed to be an act. It’s not real. It’s only to make Teresa jealous. That’s _it._

“Like what?” Newt didn’t look at Thomas, he seemed to think that the wall was more interesting. “Give me an example.”

“You know, baby, sweetheart, honey, babe,” _love_. **_Stop._** “Stuff like that”

“I’m just gonna let you know now, I am not going to call you ‘baby’.” Newt gave the last word more attention.

“Aww, why not?” Thomas made a pouty face pretending to be hurt.

“It’s just weird. You’re not a child, why would I call you one. It also just sounds... _gross._ ”

“Fair point,” Thomas smirked, this was gonna be fun, “ _baby.”_

Newt pointed a finger at him, “Don’t you dare. I will break up this fake relationship right now.” _Please don’t._

“Sorry baby,” Thomas laughed as Newt covered his face, groaning into his hands. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop. “ He held up three fingers.”Scout’s honor.”

“You were never in boy scouts you twat,” Newt gave him a small smack on the arm, no actual intent on hurting him. Once again, his skin tingled at the contact. **_Get it together._ **

“So! I’m trying to promise you, you idiot!” Thomas scoffed, giggling after seeing Newt roll his eyes. He still had a smile on his face.

“Anyways,” Newt emphasized, “What do you want to do now?” He looked at Thomas and leaned back on his bed, resting against the headboard. 

“I don’t know, we’re at your house, you pick.” Thomas shrugged his shoulders. They could stare at the ceiling and it wouldn’t matter because they were _together._ Anything and everything was fun when Newt was with him. 

“We could…” Newt thought for a moment, tapping his fingers. The sun was beginning to set, casting a soft orange tint into the room. From Thomas’ angle, Newt was almost directly in front of the window. The sun was just in the right position to cause a small halo around his head. _He looks like an angel._

“Tommy?” Newt was looking directly at him, waving his fingers in front of his face. Shit.

“What? My bad. Must’ve zoned out.” Newt gave him a concerned look but let it go.

“I said, what if we went to that little coffee shop down the street? You know, The Glade?” _Anything you want._

“Yeah, that sounds great,” He gave Newt a tight-lipped smile. “Are we gonna walk or do you wanna drive?” He and Newt got off the bed, stretching as they did.

Newt grabbed his coat from off his chair, “Let’s walk, it’s not too far.” Thomas nodded. They walked to the front door, pulling on their shoes before heading out. That was a rule in Newt’s house, no shoes inside. It was one of Newt’s biggest pet peeves. _“It’ll track in dirt, and I don’t feel like cleaning dirt out of these carpets. Do you?”_ Was the question he would ask Thomas every time he forgot to take his shoes off. 

They stepped out onto the sidewalk with the sun on the horizon, creeping away second by second. _Newt loves sunsets,_ Thomas remembers. He’s loved them all his life, anytime they could see one, Newt would stare at it for as long as he could. You can see him trying to blink the sunspots out of his eyes every now and then, but he still wouldn’t look away. Thomas had stopped looking at the sunsets a long time ago, choosing instead to watch his best friend. It was beautiful, the way the sun hit his face, giving it such a glow that you could see his eyes for what they actually were, a deep brown. Thomas loves that brown, especially in the sun. Nobody else had eyes like Newt. Eyes that saw everything all the time. Eyes that Thomas swore held the answers to the universe. Eyes that never stopped admiring the small beauties of the world. 

They’d reached the cafe. Thomas held the door open for Newt, grinning at him as he walked in. They walked up to the line that only had one other person before them. Newt was staring at the menu. _Why does he do that? He gets the same thing every time._ Once the person in front of them ordered, they stepped up and greeted the worker.

“Hi,” Thomas went first, “I’ll have the uh.. the caramel latte please.” He gave the worker a friendly smile. “What do you want?” He nudged Newt’s shoulder. _He’ll get a peppermint tea with honey._

“I think I’ll have the peppermint tea with honey, please.” _Huh, who would’ve known?_ Thomas let out a small chuckle making Newt glance at him momentarily. He waved him off. 

“How much?”

“$7.58”

Thomas pulled out his wallet and gave the cashier the money, stepping away to let the next person in line move up. Once he and Newt went and found a small table in the corner they sat down. “You didn’t have to do that you know.” Newt had a small blush on his cheeks. He had his elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly.

“Do what?” Thomas genuinely did not know what he meant. 

Newt rolled his eyes and sat up a little straighter, “Buy my coffee Tommy, you didn’t have to.” _Oh._

“Am I not allowed to buy things for my friends?” Thomas acted offended, trying to get Newt to emit his melody of a laugh.

“Ah ah ah,” Newt waved a finger, “We’re boyfriends now remember?” Newt grinned and leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest. Thomas opened his mouth to reply but before he could the barista came and gave them their drinks. They both leaned forward to accept them, hands resting on the table afterwards. 

“Thank you so much,” Newt smiled at the barista. _Polite as ever._

“No problem,” The barista replied and walked away. _More drinks to make I suppose._

Thomas sipped his drink while Newt waited a minute for his tea to cool down. “How is it?” He had his hands wrapped around his cup as if he was freezing. _He is usually pretty cold. Like a freaking icicle._

Thomas let out a noise that sounded like a mixture of a groan and a moan, “It’s delicious, you want to try some?” Thomas offered his cup to Newt.

“No thanks, I’ll stick with my tea.” Newt motioned with his cup. 

“Oh, yeah.” Thomas sat back again, pulling his eyebrows together in fake remembrance, “I forgot that British people only drink tea.” He laughed as Newt balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it! It’s funny.” Thomas held up his hands in surrender. 

“Oh, yeah, cause overused British people drinking tea jokes are _sooooooo_ funny.” Newt rolled his eyes. But Thomas knew he thought it was funny from the small upturn on the left side of his lip. Thomas was staring at Newt’s mouth when he was interrupted by someone.

“Hi, my name is Quinn, and I just wanted to say that you look really nice tonight.” He winked at Newt. Thomas couldn’t believe it.

“Uh, thank you?” _Can Newt not see that this guy is hitting on him?_ When the guy didn’t move after Newt’s response Newt asked him, “Is there something you need?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll need your number blondie,” He smiled at Newt. _Man, this guy is really trying huh? Laying it on thick, too._ Newt’s mouth just hung open, not replying. _Oh my god, he can be so clueless sometimes._ Thomas reached across the table and placed his hand on Newt’s, giving it a squeeze, “I think he’s okay.” Thomas gave him a mocking friendly smile. 

“I’m sorry,” the guy placed a hand on his chest, “But did I ask you?” It was Thomas’ turn to drop his jaw. _Is this guy being for real?_

“He’s right, I’m okay.” Newt glanced at Thomas, clearly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, trying to scoot as close to the table as he could. 

“You sure sweetheart?” He leaned forward, hand on Newt’s shoulder, and went to whisper in Newt’s ear. “I think you’d like me, _a lot._ ” Newt froze like a deer in headlights. 

“Don’t touch him.” Thomas stood up immediately, pushing him off Newt. “I think you need to leave.” Thomas stepped in between Newt and ‘Quinn” and stood his ground. He was _not_ going to hurt Newt. Thoms wouldn’t let him.

“Tommy, it’s okay. Let’s just leave.” Newt placed a hand on Thomas’ shoulder. Thomas just held out his hand behind him, motioning for Newt to stay in his seat.

“No, we’re not going anywhere. He is. He’s going to leave.” Thomas’ voice was steady, he wasn’t going to back down. 

“And who’s going to make me? You?” ‘Quinn’ let out a dry laugh.

“If I have to, yeah. I will.” Thomas stepped forward, ready to do whatever he needed. This guy was _not_ going to get to Newt.

“Is everything alright sir?” The barista from earlier asked Thomas. He looked at ‘Quinn.’

“I don’t know. Is everything alright _Quinn?”_ Thomas quirked his head, daring ‘Quinn’ to do something.

His face shifted in defeat. He started backing away, holding hands up. “Yup, no problem here. No problem _at all,”_ he huffed, leaving the shop a few moments later. Thomas sat back down, the adrenaline leaving him. His heart rate slowed down to a reasonable pace again. That was close.

Thomas let out a sigh, “You okay?” He looked towards Newt, whose mouth was still slightly agape.

“Am I okay?” Newt spluttered, “You just nearly fought some bloody asshole, I should be asking if _you’re_ okay.” He leaned back across the table. He had relaxed a little, but he was still more tense than usual. Thomas didn’t like it. 

“I’m fine, I was asking you because he was coming onto you Newt, I just wanna make sure you’re alright.” He pulled his eyebrows together, eyes showing concern. This time it wasn’t fake. 

“I’m well enough.” Newt took a sip of his tea, his hand was shaking slightly. “Thank you by the way.”

Thomas waved his hand, “No Newt, it was no problem I-” 

Newt cut him off, “No Tommy. Thank you.” He reached across the table like Thomas had earlier. Thomas felt a blush rising to his cheeks. 

“You’re welcome.” He leaned back and grinned, albeit sheepishly. He didn’t need a thank you, it was what any friend would’ve done. **_Would friends do it_** that **_way though?_** Thomas looked down at his drink, it was empty. He didn’t remember finishing it, but he must’ve been distracted by Newt. “What do you say we get out of here, yeah?” He drummed his fingers on the table. 

“Ugh,” Newt groaned, ‘’Please.” They stood up and Thomas threw his cup in the trash while Newt waited by the door, he still had about half of his drink left. He was a slow drinker, He preferred to ‘savour’ the taste.

The sun had completely set by the time they had left, but the streetlights were on, giving everything a harsher white tone. Glares came of cars and other reflective surfaces, puddles were small shining mirrors. The temperature had dropped which caused small puffs of air to show when he and Newt breathed. There was a small red flush on Newt’s nose and cheeks. He was always cold and the weather didn’t help. 

Once they reached the house they toed off their shoes and made their way back to Newt’s room. After sitting on Newt’s bed in silence for what felt like forever to Thomas, they positioned themselves side by side on the bed. Thomas was leaned against the headboard, hands linked together behind his head with his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. Newt sat just a little in front of him, slouching slightly with legs crossed fully. His elbows were on his knees and his head rested on his hands. 

“We could watch Star Wars,” Thomas suggested with a shrug. “I know they’re your favourite.” Newt turned around and smiled at him. Thomas could’ve sworn his heart had skipped. He wants to see that smile again.

“That sounds like a great idea Tommy,” Newt got up to grab the dvd while Thomas stayed on the bed. He watched as Newt used his arms to push himself out of his sitting position and off the bed. He watched him walk over to his little bookshelf where he had the entire collection of the Star Wars movies. _He is such a nerd._ Thomas inwardly chuckled. He even had a small little Han Solo figurine. Newt walked back over to the TV with the disc that surprisingly had all of Episodes IV-VI and put it in the dvd player. He had to lean over a bit because of how tall he was so his shirt fell flat onto his back, drooping in the front. You could see the small ripples in his back muscles as his arms moved around, getting everything in order. He stood up and turned around, Thomas looked away. Newt crawled back onto the bed on his hands and knees and Thomas _really_ had to look away from that scene. 

Thomas kept glancing at Newt the entire. Newt was always fascinated with the movies. No matter how many times he’d watched them, he’d get sucked back in like it was his first time. He’d laugh at the jokes as if he'd never heard them, and gasp at the suspenseful scenes as if he didn’t already know what was going to happen. Thomas loved watching Newt more than the movie. Anytime Newt would look at Thomas during the movie, he would act like he wasn’t already staring and then make eye contact and smile along with Newt, sharing his happiness. Thomas remembers how hard Newt cried when they went to see The RIse of Skywalker in the movie theatre. He was almost inconsolable when Princess Leia died. It almost broke Thomas’ heart. It really would’ve if it wasn’t just a movie, he hated seeing Newt cry.

Almost a fourth into the movie, Thomas saw Newt shiver. He didn’t really think much of it, thinking it was either the suspense of the movie or just a one-time thing. But five minutes later, he could tell it wasn’t. Newt had given Thomas a few glances before Thomas opened his arms, “Alright, come here.” He rolled his eyes. 

Newt only grinned, climbing next Thomas. He laid his head on Thomas’ chest, laying an arm across his torso and the other behind his back. He curled a leg around Thomas’. “Ugh, thank you,” Newt hummed, “You’re like a heater.”

“And you’re like a block of ice,” Thomas hissed, throwing his arm around Newts middle. “Seriously, why are you so cold all the time?”

“Iron-deficiency,” Newt stated simply. _Makes sense,_ Thomas thought. “Are you okay?” Newt looked up at him, eyebrows pulled together.

“Uh, yeah, why?”

“Your heart’s beating kind of fast.” _Damn._

“It’s probably just trying to overcompensate for your subzero temperature, you icicle,” Thomas tried to play it off with an unconvincing laugh.

“Right, okay.” Newt just rolled his eyes and continued watching the movie.

-

They were almost done with Episode V when Newt’s breathing was evened out. Sometime in between movies they had shifted from sitting to lying down completely. Thomas had been staring down at him for a while now, completely uninterested in the movie. He rests his cheek on top of Newt’s head, his eyes have been closing and reopening for the past thirty minutes. Along with his head falling back and nearly smacking the headboard a few times. He raised his head again and looked at Newt’s golden hair, “Goodnight.” He hesitated for a moment before leaning down and pressing a small kiss on the crown of his head. He reached for the remote gently before turning off the TV and falling into a peaceful slumber. 


	6. Big date, huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s the occasion?” the cashier asked, as she was ringing him up. Scanning each item with the hand-held device they use.
> 
> “Movies,” Newt answered, already digging in his pockets for the cash.
> 
> “Big date huh?” She smirked at him. “Your total is $9.35.”
> 
> “Uh- you could say that.” Heat rose to his cheeks as he handed over the money. She gave him the receipt and winked at him.
> 
> “Have fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters keep getting longer and longer lol. Anyways, this one was fun to write, hope you enjoy!! <3
> 
> Newt pov

Newt’s cold. He sits up, rolling the two blankets on top of him onto his lap. _Didn’t we fall asleep on top of the covers?_ We. _Where’s Tommy?_ Newt turns his head from side to side, finding the room empty. He slouches, disappointed. Flopping back down on the bed, he tugs the blankets back up to his chin. Tommy must’ve covered him up before he left. Rolling over to grab his phone off his bedside table, he saw a note. “ _Mom needed me to come home. Sorry for leaving, didn’t wanna wake you.”_ Newt wouldn’t be able to read it if he hadn’t been Thomas’ friend for years. It was almost an unintelligible chicken-scrawl. Newt laughed. 

He sat up, stretching as he went. Today was Saturday, so they didn’t have school. He walked into the front room, only to be greeted by his little sister. “Hey,” she said, glancing over her shoulder, apple in hand. He went over to the pantry in the kitchen, opening and scanning it in the hopes of something catching his eye for breakfast.

“You know,” he called out, “You should have more than an apple for breakfast Sonya.” He saw a box of oatmeal on the second shelf and grabbed two packages from it, setting them on the counter. He then turned and grabbed a small pot for boiling his water. 

“Breakfast isn’t really my thing.” She walked into the kitchen to throw her apple core away, punching him as she passed. “You should know that Newtie.”

Newt groaned, “Come on Lizzy, you know I hate that name.” She just winked at him as she walked out of the kitchen. Once his oatmeal was ready he sat down at the table and pulled out his phone, choosing to text Thomas.

**-TOMMY-**

_Hey_

**Miss me already?**

_No._

**Yeah right, you totally miss me**

_I just wanted to know what your mom needed, is she okay?_

**Yeah she’s fine. Just complained that i hadn’t been home in forever and needed to do my chores**

**Made me feel very special**

_I bet_

**What’re you gonna do today**

_Don't know_

_You?_

**I thought we’d agreed to wait till marriage newtie? I'm shocked**

_You know what i mean you twat_

**I’m just joking**

**I don’t know either**

_You wanna see if Minho wants to meet up?_

**Yeah sure, where?**

_How about the museum?_   
  


**Omg no, you’re such an old man**

**Lets go to the movies or something**

_Fine. I’ll text him_

**Love you baby ;)**

_Oh shut it_

Despite the annoying pet name, Newt blushed. But Thomas was right, he did miss him. But only slightly. 

**-MINHO-**

_Hey_

**Hey newtie, you need something?**

_Was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with me and Tommy_

**Thanks man but i'm good**

**Rather not be a third wheel ya know**

_You wouldn't be a third wheel Minho, you’re still our best friend_

**I know, i just don't want to get in between whatever you guys want to… do… ;)**

_Gross Minho_

_That wasn't necessary you shank_

**I'm just saying! You're two young lovers, its natural**

**Just be safe <3**

_Please stop_

**I'm just playing. Besides, i've got a date**

_With who??_

**A man doesn't kiss and tell newt**

_Whatever_

_Have fun_

**You too**

**Like I said, be safe ;)**

_And like i said, STOP_

Newt groaned, Minho was the worst at teasing people. The heat on his cheeks had only intensified at the mention of whatever Minho was hinting at. Newt hadn’t thought of things like that happening until now. Wandering eyes and searching hands. Low lights and loud audio. He wondered what it would be like if they were together in that way. What would happen to them. Newt shook his head. He shouldn’t think about things like that. Not if he wanted to stay friends with Thomas. He walked back to his room, heading for his closet to grab clothes for the day. Once he was dressed he sat back down on his bed and went to text Thomas back.

**-TOMMY-**

_Minho can’t come_

_He’s got a date_

**With who??**

_Idk, he won’t tell me_

**Damn**

**Meet in 20?**

_Yeah, see you then_

Newt lived closer to the theatre than Thomas so he decided to walk. He figured Thomas would drive, if he wanted a ride back afterward, he could just ask Tommy for one. He could ask Tommy for anything. If Thomas could do what Newt asked of him, he did. He always did. If Newt needed someone to talk to, Tommy was there. If he wanted someone to bring him take-out, Tommy would. Newt would do the same for Thomas. They were each other’s rock. They’d been best friends since the day they met, which was so long ago that Newt didn’t remember when. But he did remember what happened. 

Newt had just moved from England to the states, his parents choosing Colorado of all states to live in. Newt was upset at first, obviously, because he had to leave behind everything. His house, his friends, all of it was back in England. On his first day of 5th grade, the teacher sat him next to Thomas in an attempt to give him at least one friend. He and Thomas hit it off from the start. They both had a love for space. Just the endless eternity of it amazed them. It went on forever and ever, there was no limit. As they grew older, they were inseparable, never leaving each other’s side for more than the few hours they needed to sleep. They dreamed of becoming astronauts, as most children do, rocketing into space with each other and never coming back. Once they got older they realised how silly it was, of course, but there was still that secret want. That desire to leave, only having Thomas as his company.

He’d reached the theatre, surprised at how he didn’t even pay attention on his way there. He just let his feet guide him as his mind wandered. He stood in front, trying to decide what movie to watch. There wasn’t anything that really jumped out at him, mainly older movies replaying and little b-flicks. _Thomas likes b-flicks. Thinks they're funny. We’ll watch one of those,_ Newt decides. It comes down to about three movies. One about a bank robbery gone wrong, another about some alien monster terrorizing a small town, and a stereotypical serial killer movie. Newt turned around and went to check the time on his phone. He still had ten minutes before Thomas would arrive. He looked around, bored out of his mind when he saw the convenience store across the street.

_I’ll get us some sweets,_ he thought. _The movie theatre charges way too much anyways._ He walked up to the edge of the sidewalk, checking both ways before crossing. As he entered the store he heard the little bell signaling his arrival. The cashier looked up at him and smiled, Newt returned with his own. He walked and down the isles, trying to find Thomas’ favourite, sour patch kids. Newt didn’t really like them, sour not being his preferred taste. He liked the classic M&Ms. Couldn’t go wrong with the classics, could you? Once he found their candy he went over to the drinks, grabbed Thomas a root beer, sprite for himself, and brought it all up to the front counter.

“What’s the occasion?” the cashier asked, as she was ringing him up. Scanning each item with the hand-held device they use.

“Movies,” Newt answered, already digging in his pockets for the cash.

“Big date huh?” She smirked at him. “Your total is $9.35.”

“Uh- you could say that.” Heat rose to his cheeks as he handed over the money. She gave him the receipt and winked at him.

“Have fun.”

“Thanks,” Newt muttered as he put everything in his pockets and stepped back outside. _Was this a date? No, we tried to get Minho to come along, people on dates don’t do that._ **_But Minho thinks it a date. Everyone does._ ** The voice in his head chimed in. _Well, that's probably because everyone thinks we’re dating. That’s kind of like the whole point._ But it wasn’t a date. They both knew that. Tommy didn’t actually like him. Not in that way at least. It was all an act. It wasn’t real. It’s not _real._ Newt was snapped out of his trance by an arm slinging around his shoulder.

“Hey, _baby,_ ” Thomas snickered, flinching back from Newt’s small swat on his arm. Once the attack was over, he put his arm back around Newt. _Just a friend. Not real._

“Hey,” Newt said begrudgingly, his distaste was soon gone when he looked at Thomas, this time focusing. He had on a white top with a blue flannel on top, shielding him from the crisp air, along with black jeans. He looked _amazing._ Once again, Thomas had to bring Newt back to reality. 

“Hey,” he was giving Newt a small smile, “Did you hear me?”

Newt let out a small choked cough. “No, sorry. What did you say?” He pulled his brows together trying to focus on Thomas’ face so that he could pay attention. It didn’t really work.

Thomas chuckled, “I _said,_ did you decide on what movie you wanted to watch?” He asked Newt while his eyes danced across the posters on the side of the movie wall. Newt wished those eyes would look at him.

“I was actually going to let you choose.” He looked down, kicking a small rock down the sidewalk. “I narrowed it down to about three movies, those b-flicks that you like.” Newt didn’t miss the way Thomas looked over at him. Newt thought he saw something like fondness in his eyes but brushed it off as friendly appreciation.

“Which ones?”

Newt motioned towards the posters. “There’s one about a serial killer, another about a monster terrorizing a town,” He pointed out the last poster on the end, “and then there's that one, it’s about a bank robbery.”

Thomas considered all three, scrutinizing every poster. “Umm,” he looked at the posters while Newt stared at him. The arm on his shoulders felt too heavy and too light at the same time. He wanted more. But he knew he could never have anything other than this. Friendly hugs and small moments of hand-holding. _Just friends._ “Let’s watch the one with the monster in it, yeah?” He turned and glanced at Newt, waiting for confirmation. 

“Sounds good Tommy,” Newt smiled at him. They were about to walk through the front doors when Newt remembered the sweets in his pockets. “Oh,” he held out a hand, stopping Thomas in his tracks and the boy gave him a confused look. Newt reached into his jacket, “I got us some sweets,” he said simply. Thomas immediately smiled.

“Yes! Thank you!” he hugged Newt, picking him up momentarily. 

“Put me down,” Newt feigned annoyance, he couldn’t care less what Tommy did with him. 

"You big brute.”

Thomas only laughed, “Oh shut up, you know you love me,” he replied in a sing-song voice. 

“Yeah, yeah, you wish,”

Thomas pulled him closer into another hug, this time leaving him on the ground. He leaned into Newt’s ear. “Hey now, you’re supposed to be my boyfriend, remember? Can’t have a boyfriend that doesn’t love me, now can I?” 

Newt’s mouth went dry. “No, I guess not,” he stammered, trying to get air back into his lungs. He has to get it together or this is going to get worse, _a lot worse._

Thomas leaned back, giving him a smirk. He left his hands on Newt’s shoulders, grounding either himself or Newt. He didn’t know. “That’s right, shall we get our tickets now pumpkin?” 

Newt rolled his eyes, “Only if you stop calling me stupid pet names.” He finished their journey inside despite his comment. Thomas followed him.

“No promises.” 

They walked up and stood in line, waiting to buy their tickets. It was your typical theatre. Black floors, red curtains near the top of the waiting area. There was a small spot in the corner with a few games, racing and shooting mostly. Newt thinks he saw a pinball machine somewhere over there too. They’d bought their tickets, snickering a bit when the cashier asked them if they wanted any snacks or drinks. They had a few more minutes before the movie started so they decided to go over to the games in the corner.

“Oh my god, we have to play this one,” Thomas exclaimed, walking backwards for a moment to show Newt the excitement on his face. Newt chuckled and let out a small ‘fine’ before walking over and joining him at the game. It was a shooting game, one where you had to kill Terminators or something. Newt didn’t know, he hadn’t seen the movies. Thomas picked up the fake guns, passing one to Newt before putting in a dollar to start their game. Newt wasn’t the best at these, but he still managed to rack up a pretty high score. Thomas on the other hand, didn’t miss. Once the game finished he put in TOM as his name marker.

“Good job,” Newt commented, Tommy had gotten 2nd on the leaderboard.

“It’s all in the fingers,” Thomas probably said that without thinking, referencing his finger on the trigger. He wiggled his fingers at Newt as he looked around, trying to decide what game they would play next. “Oh, you wanna play that one?” He pointed towards a singular, yellow motorcycle. It was a racing game. 

Newt pulled a face, “But there’s only one.” 

Thomas shrugged. “We can take turns.” He walked over to it, motioning for Newt to play first. Newt rolled his eyes before getting on, letting Thomas put in the money for the round. Newt had bought the tickets and the candy so Thomas offered to pay for the games. The game counted off. 3, 2, 1. Newt twisted the throttle, taking off immediately. Thomas laughed a few times when Newt would oversteer and veer off course, but he always recovered. Except on his last turn. He was in 2nd place, almost tied with the bot for 1st, but as he turned the last corner he tipped too far and nearly fell off the bike. This resulted in Thomas grabbing his waist in order to keep him from falling. Thomas’ fingers held on tight to Newt, digging into his hips. Newt’s breath caught in his throat and his stomach dropped to what felt like the floor. _Fuck._ Thomas always had big hands, Newt knew that, but he didn’t know what they’d feel like on his waist. He’d imagined it a few times, of course, but not like this. _Never like this._

“Are you alright?” Thomas leans him forward, centering him on the bike again. Even though he was stable now, Thomas still had his hands on his waist, paying them no mind at all. It was driving Newt crazy.

“Yeah,” Newt let out a shaky breath, trying to compose himself. It wasn’t working. _Get it together Newt._ “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks Tommy.” He gave Thomas a smile. Of course Tommy was there to catch him. He always was. He just looked at Newt like he had broken an arm, worry etched so far into his features that it even scared Newt. “Are _you_ okay?” 

“Yeah, yes. I’m fine,” Thomas let out a small laugh of relief.

“You act like I nearly died Tommy,” Newt snorted. Thomas’ hands were still attached to his hips, his grip hadn’t loosened either.

“I mean,” Thomas stuttered, _he doesn’t do that very often,_ Newt noted. “You could’ve fallen and hit your head or something, I don’t know.” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet. 

“I’m okay Tommy.” Thomas looked at Newt, eyes boring straight into his soul. “Are you going to let go of my waist now?” He didn’t really want him to, but he was afraid he was going to end up with bruises. 

“Oh my god I’m sorry,” Thomas pulled his hands back, holding one of them in front of Newt just in case he were to fall again. The other one went to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment Newt presumed. There was a small flush barely visible amid the slightly dim lighting, but it was there. 

“It’s okay. Now let’s go see if our movie is ready, yeah?” Newt got off the motorcycle, feeling Thomas’ eyes on him. He had wanted Thomas to look at him earlier, just not in that way. He didn’t want Thomas to worry about him. Not any more than he already does at least.

“Sure,” Thomas stood up, walking around the game, and joined Newt at his side. Their fingers brushed momentarily before Newt got a burst of courage and decided to fully link their hands together. _So cliche,_ he chided himself, but he couldn’t care less. He was holding hands with Tommy. He just wished it was under different circumstances. He wished it wasn’t an act. 

They were about to walk into the hall with all the movie doors when Thomas stopped in his tracks, catching Newt off guard and making him stumble slightly.”What’s wrong?” Thomas didn’t reply, he just kept staring down the hall. Newt followed his line of sight before coming into view of what made Thomas stop.

It was her. _The witch._ She was with Aris. Guess it wasn’t a one-time thing after all. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while Teresa was in front of him, laughing so hard that she had to place a hand on Aris’ arm to keep steady. Before Aris and Teresa could notice them, Thomas had turned Newt around and slightly pinned him against the wall. Newt looked up, his eyes meeting Thomas’ honey ones. He looked upset, understandably so.

“It’s okay,” Newt raised one of his hands to rub the back of Thomas’ arm. “We can leave if you want.” Newt didn’t want to force Thomas to be somewhere he didn’t want to. If Thomas wanted to leave, they would leave. 

“No I want to stay, I just didn’t expect her to be here.” Thomas looked over his shoulder quickly, they still hadn’t noticed them. “Didn’t expect _them_ to be here.” He looked hurt, sullen even. Newt didn’t like it. 

“What do you want to do?” Newt looked at Thomas again, eyes losing their focus and glancing at his lips. _You could kiss me,_ he thinks. Thomas was too busy watching his shoes to notice. 

The usher had just opened the door to their theatre room, giving them the perfect opportunity to slip into it without attracting too much attention. Thomas let out a sigh of relief once they sat down, choosing some seats in the back. They were the best place to sit. “I’m sorry,” Thomas started, “I shouldn’t have acted that way. I didn’t mean-” He was rambling.

Newt cut him off, “Tommy, look at me,” Thomas did as he was told. Newt put his hand on Thomas’, grasping tightly to remind him of his presence. “You have nothing to be sorry for, you did nothing wrong.”

“But I did! I pushed you into the wall, I could’ve hurt you.” Thomas looked down, the ads for up-coming movies came onto the screen, lighting up his face. Newt grabbed him by the chin, lifting his face even to his with his fingers, making eye-contact with him.

“You didn’t hurt me Tommy.” He could’ve sworn he’d seen Thomas’ eyes drop to his lips but it was too dark to tell. “You could never hurt me.” He moved forward and hugged him, trying to convey his feelings. He’d meant what he’d said. Every word. He just wished he could say more. 


	7. Spin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You were just what Teresa?" His voice is almost devoid of emotion. He was done. Done. She looks at him with pleading eyes, trying to get him to forgive her. She still didn't answer him. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He turned around and started walking away, head spinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mainly a flashback, that's important so dont forget. Sorry for being like a day late, I know it's not that long i just like to keep a schedule. I try to stay a chapter ahead, so it took a little longer to post cause the next chapter is 5k!! It'll be the longest so far!! But yeah, enjoy!! :)
> 
> Thomas pov

It took Thomas some time to calm down. They weren’t too far into the movie when he did, though. The combination of Newt, the candy, and the movie was plenty of a distraction. Newt got his favourite candy, sour patch kids. It’s like they say, they really are sour then sweet. Thomas loves it. He also got Thomas a root beer. He tried to open it as quietly as he could despite there only being about five other people in there with them. It was your typical monster movie. Some alien monster crashes next to a small town, starts attacking its citizens. He wasn’t upset anymore, but he just couldn’t get that image out of his head. 

Aris, back leaning against the wall, with one foot on the ground and the other also placed on the wall, smirk on his face. Teresa, laughing so hard she was almost doubled over. She had her hand on Aris’ arm so that she didn’t completely fall over. Thomas could never make her laugh like that. At first, she was amazing. She would smile and laugh and joke around with everyone. Then, she started to get distant. She stopped hanging out with most of them, leaving Thomas to try and explain her absence. She became colder, smiles becoming less and less frequent. Thomas blamed himself. It was his fault, he couldn’t make her happy. He couldn’t do anything for her, not anymore. He tried, though. Tried with multiple romantic gestures, bringing her flowers at random times and giving her compliments all the time just in case it had something to do with self-esteem. He didn’t know what he did to cause her to be so stand-offish to him. And, he didn’t know how to fix it. 

\-------------------------------

It was an end of summer party when it happened. Gally, known for his wild parties, had thrown it. He always supplied the booze due to the fact that his parents owned a distillery and did not care what he did whatsoever. Thomas had picked up Teresa on his way there. He hadn’t really wanted to go but she insisted so he went, to make her happy. They walked in, bright lights changing into new ones, fading between each. Thomas remembers being grateful that the lights weren’t strobing, it gave him severe headaches. Teresa ran forward, leaving him behind, to meet up with her newfound friend, Rachel. She was nice enough, Thomas had nothing against her. He didn’t know much about her. Thomas decided to let her have her fun and went to go find his friends. He found Minho first, chatting it up with some redhead. He chuckled, he’ll leave him alone for now, he wouldn't wanna mess up Minho’s ‘game.’ Thomas walked on and bumped into Brenda, literally. 

“Oh, shit. My bad,” He started to say before he saw that it was her. She looked pretty in the now purple lights.

“Hey!” She threw her arms around him in a hug, voice already slurred. “What are you doing here?” She asked, she still had her hands on Thomas’ shoulders,  _ probably keeping herself from falling over.  _

“Teresa,” he answered simply. It would be enough of a reason. Brenda made a pouty face in response. He knew they didn’t get along.

“I don't like her.” She started pulling him over to the kitchen where all the booze was located. Brenda wasn’t exactly a lightweight so she must’ve started drinking pretty early on. “She’s mean to you. To  _ everyone. _ ” She gave him a pointed look. She was right, but Thomas wouldn’t admit it, he was still trying to save them both. She shoved a drink in his hand, red solo cup nearly full. He looked at her like she was crazy. “Drink! You’re gonna need it.” She finished her sentence loud enough that he could hear it. The music was fairly loud. He could feel the bass in his chest.

Thomas loved that, the actual feeling of music. The beat in his chest and the notes ringing in his ears. He’s loved music all his life, never confining himself to one genre. Except for country music, Thomas did  _ not _ like country music. It was always about beers, women, and trucks. Thomas couldn’t stand it.  _ I’m at a party, why not? _ He looked down into his cup.  _ I’m a teenager at a party, who says I can’t get drunk?  _ Without much afterthought he gulped down his drink, not finishing it, but swallowing a decent amount. Brenda glanced at him before smiling, “That’s what I like to see!” Thomas chuckled, she was a party animal. “You wanna dance?” Her face scrunched a little. She had to yell now because the music got turned up, becoming impossibly louder.

“No, I’m good.” He didn’t want to dance. Wasn’t really his thing. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to make her way to the crowd of sweaty teenagers. Thomas turned back to the table and leaned his hips against it. He was already tired. He downed his drink completely and threw his cup somewhere in the direction of the trashcan. He went further into the house this time, looking for Teresa or his friends, whichever came first. He didn’t care at this point. He had just come out of the bathroom and walked down the hall, glancing into the open rooms, when he saw Newt. 

He was sitting on the floor with someone Thomas didn’t know, his name might’ve been Winston. Thomas wasn’t sure. They were laughing about something, it must’ve been hilarious because Newt was doubled over and smacking the ground. He had a beer bottle in his hand, holding carefully so he didn’t spill it. Thomas smiled, he liked seeing Newt happy. He liked seeing him smile and laugh. He walked in and flopped down on one of the beds, “Fancy seeing you here Newt,” he smiled at his best friend. 

Newt looked up at him, humour still on his face and grinned wider. He had a pink tinge on his cheeks from the beer and the laughter. “Tommy! What’re you doing here?” He didn’t have the same tone that Brenda had, his was more surprised and excited. He sat up a little, uncrossing his legs and raising them so that he could rest his elbows on bent knees. He still had the bottle gripped in his hand, this time letting it hang in the air between his legs. The condensation dripped off and onto Newt’s hand, trailing down his arm. It followed right along the muscle of his forearm, curving around to the inside of Newt’s shirt so Thomas couldn’t see it anymore. 

He stared at Newt for just a moment longer, taking in the sight of his face in the soft dim lighting, trying to commit it to memory. He looked beautiful like this, happy. “Teresa wanted me to come,” he replied. Newt’s face fell just a fraction of a bit before recovering back to its previous expression. “I don’t know where she is now though.” Thomas looked at the doorway as if he expected her to be standing there. He knew she wouldn’t be. 

Newt stood up, “Well, forget about her,” he winked at Thomas and motioned towards the man he was sharing the floor with. “This is Winston.” He smiled, glad to have finally introduced the both of them.

“Hey man,” Thomas held his hand out, “I’m Thomas.”

Winston chuckled, “Yeah, I know.” he shook Thomas’ hand.  _ Weird.  _ Winston pointed directly at Newt, “This guy has told me  _ all  _ about you.”  _ Well, that makes sense.  _

“Aww, Newt,” he beamed at him, “You talk about me?” He batted his eyelashes for further effect.

Newt waved him off, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s go get some more drinks, yeah?” He started making his way towards the door. Thomas got up and followed him, he could use another drink. 

Winston stopped midstep, informing them that he had to go. His friend was apparently puking their guts out in the corner. Thomas and Newt shivered in disgust before continuing their journey to the kitchen. Thomas went to the fridge to grab him and Newt another beer while Newt hopped up on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. “So,” he popped the cap off his drink, “How’s the witch?” He smirked at Thomas, knowing the nickname slightly annoyed him. Less and less as time went on though, Thomas had started to see the proof behind the name after a while.

“She’s fine I guess,” Thomas didn’t have the energy to roll his eyes over her anymore. “Ditched me as soon as we walked in.” He sipped his drink, glad for the small buzz it brought on.

“You know she’s no good for you, right?” Newt’s voice had turned serious, showing his concerned state. He turned and looked at Thomas who had chosen to lean against the counter next to him.

Thomas looked at the ground, he was right. When was he not? “She’s not all bad,” his habit of defending her returned, he didn’t know what else to do. 

Newt scoffed, “Right,” he sipped his drink, tilting his head back and exposing his neck. Thomas could see some of the smaller veins strain against the skin. It was pale and oddly inviting. “Okay Tommy, sure.” He looked out at the crowd developing in the living room and sighed, dropping the subject. “Wanna go see what everyone’s going on about?” Thomas nodded so Newt jumped off the counter, landing slightly harder than intended. He’d misjudged the distance between the counter and the floor, failing to take into account how long his legs were. Newt and Thomas were about the same height, Thomas maybe had an inch and a half on him. Not much but he liked to brag about it, teasing Newt who always denied it with a red face. Newt did have longer legs though, smaller but just as strong, despite his limp. Thomas looked at Newt’s legs, watching how they carried him into the next room.

It was a game of spin the bottle. How typical. There was a brown bottle in the middle, currently spinning, a girl watched it with intense dread. She sighed in relief when it landed on someone she didn’t mind kissing. Minho was in the circle with the redhead from earlier next him, he motioned towards Newt and Thomas, beckoning them over. They walked over, not intending to play, just to see what Minho wanted. They should’ve known better. As soon as they reached him, he pulled them both down to the floor. “I’ve been looking for you guys!” His smile reached his eyes, Minho was a giddy drunk. He didn’t look that far gone though. 

Thomas rolled his eyes, “Minho, you know I can’t play. Teresa would lose her shit.” He went to stand up.

Minho shrugged, “Nah, I don’t think so.” He motioned across the circle. Almost directly in front of them was Teresa, flanked by Rachel and Aris. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d sat down. “C’mon man, just play, live a little.” Thomas sat down, if she was willing to play, then she should be fine with him playing too. Everything was going to shit anyways, why not? What else could she do to him? Minho let out a small little ‘yess’ at his repositioning.

Newt gave him a slight smile. “Yeah Tommy, live a little,” He chuckled along with him. He could do this. He could have fun. He could live a little. He faced the inner part of the circle, deliberately avoiding Teresa’s gaze, hiding behind Newt. Just a little. Newt got the message, scooting in front of him just a fraction, that way if the bottle landed on him he would know, but he would still be out of Teresa’s obviously distracted sight.

Someone else spun the bottle, a guy this time. It landed on the redhead Minho was with. He looked a little irked at first, but Minho respected the game and watched her crawl up to the guy, leaving a fairly fast kiss to his lips before returning to Minho’s side. The guy next to the previous one takes the bottle and spins. It circles quickly multiple times before steadying. It reaches an achingly slow pace before it lands. On Newt. 

Newt’s jaw drops slightly, partly in shock and partly in small excitement. He’s mentioned to Thomas that he thinks the guy’s pretty cute. He’s got tanned skin with dark brown hair to match it and his eyes are a hazel colour. He smirks as he comes over to Newt placing his hand on the back of his neck and tilting his head upwards slightly. Thomas can see the small flush on Newt’s face. He can see the way Newt’s eyes travel down from his eyes to his lips, hypnotized. The guy drags it out, waiting for an annoyingly long time to get it over with. Thomas looks away as their lips connect, he can feel the heat rise to his own cheeks. 

When he returns his gaze the guy is backing away while still holding eye contact with Newt, who looks completely transfixed. Thomas can’t explain why it makes his blood boil.  _ It's just cause I don't want him to play with Newt. That's what it is. _ Newt seems to snap out of it by the time the next person spins. It's a girl Thomas doesn't know, he doesn't know a lot of people at the party. It must have kids from different schools too. Her spin lands on Aris. Thomas can see the annoyance that crosses Teresa's face and melts into her eyes. It doesn't suit her. She still hasn't noticed Thomas. Hasn't even looked for him. 

Once the kiss is over, Teresa grabs Aris' arm and whispers something in his ear. A small smirk spreads on his face. They both get up and head to the kitchen. Thomas assumes it's to get drinks. Thomas gets bored after a few rounds, he hasn't spun and the bottle hasn't landed on him either. He gets up to go into the kitchen, hoping to get Teresa and another drink. She's not in there so he picks up some bottle with clear liquid,  _ probably vodka,  _ pours it into his cup and takes a sip, nearly choking.  _ Definitely vodka _ . 

He stumbles around the house again, he wants to leave. Teresa can stay if she wants, he just needs to tell her before he goes. One trip up the stairs and a few steps down the hall, he's met with a hall of bedrooms. For Gally being an only child, they sure do have a lot of rooms. Too many. Like before, he glances into the rooms with open doors, not risking knocking on the closed ones. He doesn't want to see something not meant for him. He comes to the last room of the hall and the door is almost closed. Just a small space between the frame and the door. He looks in, only for a moment, when he sees them.

They're on the bed. He's on top, they're still clothed thankfully. His hand is on her thigh, sliding further and further. She's beneath him with her hands on the sides of his face, kissing him like she would die if she stopped. They sit up and Aris pulled her into his lap, her knees bent by his sides. He had begun to move his mouth to her neck so she tilted her head back and to the side to give him better access. Thomas was frozen, he didn't want to look anymore but his body wouldn't let him move. He just stood there, watching. She opened her eyes and was looking around the room when she saw him. 

Her hands immediately went to Aris' shoulders, pushing him back. He looked at her in confusion before following her eyesight to Thomas in the doorway. Teresa hopped off Aris and ran over to Thomas. "Tom, it's not what it looks like, I swear," she babbles. He just stares at her, unmoving.  _ Did she think he was going to believe her? _ "We were just.. just.." she motions with her hands, trying to come up with an excuse. 

"You were just what Teresa?" His voice is almost devoid of emotion. He was done.  **_Done_ ** _.  _ She looks at him with pleading eyes, trying to get him to forgive her. She still didn't answer him. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He turned around and started walking away, head spinning.  She didn't follow him, it would be useless. She fucked up and she knew it. He could hear her sniffles and imagined her face streaked with tears.  _ Good riddance. _ __

He needs to leave. He has to. He stumbled through the house, trying to find Newt. Thomas was too drunk to drive, he knew that. He needed Newt. He scanned each room, he couldn't find him. He was spinning in circles trying to find him. He stopped, he had to calm down. He wouldn't find him if he wasn't calm.  _ Focus.  _ He slowed down, eyes searching slower this time. He saw a familiar tuft of golden hair in the far corner and made his way towards it. 

"Newt," there he was. He found him. He walked towards him, finding him talking to the guy he had kissed in spin the bottle earlier. He was laughing at something he said. The other guy just smirked, eyes studying everything about Newt. "Newt!" He had to raise his voice due to the music blaring from the speakers. Newt's head snapped to him instantly, concern lacing his features. 

"Tommy?" He walked forward and put a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Are you alright?" Thomas shook his head, he was most definitely  _ not _ alright. 

"Can we leave? I need to leave." 

Newt turned around and told the guy he needed to leave. He was understanding and let them leave with a smile, waving. Newt borderline carried Thomas to his car and grabbed the keys from Thomas' back pocket. He got Thomas into the passenger seat and made his way to the driver's side. Once he was in the car, he started it and made his way to leave. Once they had crossed a few streets over, he looked at Thomas. 

"Tommy, what happened?" He took a right turn. The traffic lights glistened against the wet pavement. It must've rained. 

"I- it was nothing. Got sick. Just needed to leave." He looked straight ahead. He knew Newt wouldn't force him to talk. He'd just let Thomas come to him when he was ready. Newt was amazing in that way, he respects people's boundaries and doesn't rush them. Thomas loved that about him. He loves a lot of things that Newt does. How he's always there for him. How he shows absolute gratitude at the small things, gratitude you don't have to question is real or not. How polite he is. How he knows Thomas' little quirks and favourite things. How he treats others. How he treats him. He'd follow him anywhere and Thomas would do the same for him. 

Newt brought them to Thomas' house, pulling into the driveway and getting out to open Thomas' door.  _ What a gentleman. _ He used the keys still in his hands to open the door, putting them in their assigned bowl. "I'll make you some tea, go ahead and get comfortable. I'll be there in a minute." He patted Thomas on the back as he went to do what he was told. He changed when he got to his room, choosing a comfy oversized t-shirt and plain sweatpants. He leaned down in front of his TV, trying to decide if he wanted to watch a movie. And if so, what movie he wanted to watch. He settled on Legally Blonde. He had just sat down on the bed when Newt padded in with two mugs in hand. 

"I made some peppermint tea. Should help calm you down." He bit his lip as he handed Thomas his mug, focused on not spilling the hot liquid. "Added a little honey too." He sat down next to Thomas, "Legally Blonde huh?" Thomas just nodded, it was one of their favourite movies. They sat in silence for most of the movie while they sipped at their drinks. Once they finished they got under the covers, neither noticing that they unconsciously had gotten closer to each other. 

Thomas had been staring off at the TV, he was there, but not paying attention. He didn't notice how often Newt glanced at him. How often Newt worried his lip, concerned about his best friend. He'd barely registered the cold hand covering his until they laced their fingers together. Thomas' mouth quirked upwards, Newt always knew how to comfort him, no matter how small the action was. He felt himself drift off, still holding his hand. 

\-----------------------------

  
  


Once the credits started rolling Newt got up and stretched his hand out, so Thomas took it and didn't let go once he stood, choosing to grip Newt's hand as if his life depended on it. In a way, it did. They left the theatre, glancing out into the hallway to check for Teresa before heading to the front door. Once they were outside Thomas was able to take a deep breath. It was incredibly refreshing. The cold, crisp air filling his lungs. Thomas drove them back to Newt's house, not even having to ask if he could come in. 

Thomas could either be lazy and mope, or do something more productive. He chose the latter, deciding to try and study. Thomas had left his schoolwork at Newt's house the previous day in his dash out the door so he sat down on the bed and pulled it out. Newt must've sensed that he just wanted to chill because he started playing some music. They had made a playlist freshman year specifically for this. Selecting their favourite songs and putting them together, totaling a time of 12 hours and 27 minutes. He didn't get much studying done, but it was something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since school just started it may take me a little longer between chapters but I promise I will update as soon as I can! I won't abandon this fic I swear. Thank you for reading!! <3


	8. Hellfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She sat stiffer than normal with her pen clenched so tightly in her hand that it was beginning to turn white from the pressure. He had also caught her glancing at him throughout the class, hellfire burning in her blue eyes. 
> 
> Newt let out a quiet sigh of relief and victory, it was working. She was angry. And it was only going to get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is the longest chapter so far and I think that's because I find it easier to write from Newt's pov. But anyways, this might be a little ooc? But I don't really think so due to their uhh situation,, But I did enjoy writing this so enjoy!! <3
> 
> Newt pov

Newt watched Thomas as he studied. Thomas always held his pencil oddly, in Newt's opinion. He always had his pointer finger on top. He never used his middle finger to help press the pencil against his ring finger. Instead, he would place it under the pencil. His thumb would rest on the side of the pencil, touching his middle finger. He wrote fast, hands speeding across the pages. That was probably why his handwriting was so terrible. He had to explain to others what it said, on multiple occasions. Newt was always able to read it though. If Thomas wasn't there he was the one who had to tell everyone what it was. 

Thomas didn't usually study unprompted, seeing Teresa must've upset him, if only slightly. Newt didn't like it. It was their turn to make her truly and irrevocably jealous. They had to step up their game. Newt went over to his desk, grabbing a notebook and pen, and sat down to come up with a plan. He stared at the blank page until the ideas started to flood his mind. 

  * more pda 
  * try to get in her eyesight more often
  * show off the relationship 
  * spread more rumors 
  * be seen together more
  * do things Thomas wouldn't do voluntarily with her
  * ~~maybe snog??~~



He added the last suggestion hesitantly. In the beginning, he told Thomas that he wasn't willing to do that, he was now though. He decided to cross it off entirely, making sure Tommy wouldn't be able to read it. But if Thomas wanted to then he would. It was only because Teresa had made him upset. It wasn't for any selfish reasons, only to get back at her. That was it.

He looked up at Thomas, he didn't know if now was the best time to tell him about it. But, he figured, why not? "Hey, Tommy?" Thomas tore his eyes away from his work and stared back at Newt. "I, uh- I have an idea if you're up to it." He raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck. He might go too far with this one.

"Yeah, what is it?" Newt got up and sat next to him on the bed, bringing the notebook and pen with him. He would let Tommy add suggestions if he wanted to. Newt didn't reply, only handed him the notebook. Thomas' eyes scanned the list, brows furrowed together in concentration and thought. He looked up at Newt, "You'd be willing to do all this?" 

"Yeah, course." Newt shook his head. He'd be willing to do anything for Tommy. He handed him the pen, "Here. If you want to add anything."

Thomas looked at the pen as if he were in shock. Newt wiggled the pen at him so that he would get the message and take it. He finally did, albeit dubiously, and looked back down at the paper. His eyes sparked with an idea and he went to write something down. But he must've doubted it, putting the pen down. "I can't think of anything else."

"Do these sound good to you? Is it too much?"

"No these are fine, great even. I'm sure it'll work." He smiled at Newt gratefully. 

"Good." He leaned over, placing his head on Tommy's shoulder. It stiffened before relaxing again. "She deserves it."

Thomas left about an hour after that, claiming he was tired. They'd agreed to talk about it more the next day. Newt walked him to the door, waving at him as he drove off. He shut the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes. _What had he gotten himself into?_

\----------------------

It was Monday, they had come up with their plan on Sunday, the day before. Thomas came and picked him up before school. I should really get my own car, Newt thought. Or at least pay him some gas money. They pulled up to the school, staying in the car for just a moment longer than needed. 

"You sure you wanna do this?"

"I'm sure, Tommy."

They got out and walked in, hand in hand. They were earlier than usual but they still decided to head to their first period. Thomas put his arms on the table, laying his head on top of them as if they were a pillow. Newt put his hand on his back and started rubbing small circles on it.

He leaned down to Thomas' ear. "You still tired?" He whispered, not wanting to disturb Thomas too much. 

"Yeah," Thomas nodded into his arms. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

"I'm sorry," Newt had an idea, " _ honey _ ." Thomas turned his head to the side to look at him, smiling.

"That's what I like to hear," he chuckled. Newt loved Thomas' laugh. It was music. 

"Is it now?" Newt smirked as Thomas gave him a small nod. "Well I'll have to use it more then, won't I?" He winked at Thomas. 

Minho walked in, "Sup lovebirds. How was your date?" He smirked as he flopped down into his seat, throwing his bag on the floor. It made a fairly loud 'thump' upon its landing. Thomas mumbled out a 'fine' in response.

"How was yours?" 

Minho smiled, "It was great ." He drummed his fingers on the table. 

"Are you going to tell us who you went with?" Newt whined, he wanted to know. Badly. 

"Nope!"

Brenda came in and sauntered over to the table. "Hey losers."

Newt was the only one who replied, giving her a small 'hey' as she sat down.

-

As the teacher drawled on about something Newt didn't feel like listening to, Thomas had dozed off multiple times. This left Newt with the responsibility of shaking him awake each time. He was sick of it by the seventh occurrence so he decided to try a new approach.

He leaned down to Thomas' ear, "Wake up, Tommy." All he got in return was a small groan. He paused and got closer, making sure that his lips grazed the outer shell. "Tommy, you're missing the lecture." He pressed a small kiss to Thomas' jaw. If that didn't wake him up, Newt didn't know what would. 

Thomas' eyes flew open. He turned his head towards Newt, barely an inch away from his face. "What did you do that for?" His voice was soft, only meant for Newt hear. 

Newt tilted his head, "To wake you up of course." Thomas looked dumbfounded, staring at him with his mouth slightly agape. Newt smirked and sat back in his chair. Thomas didn't fall asleep again. 

-

Frypan and Harriet were already sitting down when he arrived to class so he sat down and joined them. "Hey," Frypan welcomed him with a smile, "How was your weekend?" Newt saw Teresa enter out of the corner of his eye, it was now or never.

"It was great!" He said it a little louder than necessary, he had to make sure she heard him. “Tommy and I went out for coffee. Oh, and we also went to the movies!" Her step faltered slightly.

“Oh, what did you guys see?”

Newt shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand in dismissal, “Something about a monster. It was one of those b-flicks Tommy likes.”

“Didn’t pay much attention huh?” Harriet smirked. Newt could feel his cheeks go pink. Harriet only let out a small laugh. He knew what she was hinting at, but that wasn’t the reason they weren’t paying attention. Thomas had been staring off into space for most of the movie while Newt spent the entire time just worrying about him. 

“We paid attention!” Newt denied it but the tone he let out was defensive, trying to make sure that they thought he was lying. 

“Yeah, sure,” she chuckled before giving the teacher her attention. 

Frypan decided it was his turn to interrogate Newt. “So, what did you guys do after that?” He wiggled his eyebrows. 

Newt rolled his eyes, “We went back to my place and studied a bit.”

“Oh, studied?” The grin that appeared on Frypan’s face was annoying. 

“Yes, we studied. And that’s all we did.” He swatted Fry’s arm to get his point across. Why were his friend’s thoughts always so dirty? Your head’s been in the gutter too, remember? That little voice was back, taunting and teasing him. It was right though, his thoughts had wandered multiple times. He had to shake his head to keep his mind from going to those places again. He tried to focus on the teacher but his eyes kept drifting over to Teresa. She sat stiffer than normal with her pen clenched so tightly in her hand that it was beginning to turn white from the pressure. He had also caught her glancing at him throughout the class, hellfire burning in her blue eyes. 

Newt let out a quiet sigh of relief and victory, it was working. She was angry.  _ And it was only going to get worse.  _

-

It was lunch, so Newt decided to go and find Thomas. He wanted to tell him about how Teresa acted, knowing he would love it. They were actually getting somewhere. It took him a few minutes but he did find him. He was sitting by his locker, knees crossed with a book laid over top. He was studying.  _ He does that too much, he’s smarter than he thinks _ . It was true, Thomas always studied more than necessary, he was always worried that he’d forget something important or how to do certain things. So, for compensation, he studied. Nearly every day. It was amazing the boy didn’t have a headache 24/7. 

“Hey.”

Thomas looked up, a small smile spreading upon his face at the sound of Newt’s voice. “Hey,” his voice was soft. He closed the book on his lap and laid it next to the notebook he’d been writing in, giving Newt his full attention. “What’s up?”

Newt sat down next to him, mirroring his position. “Nothing really,” his voice lowered considerably, he couldn't have anyone hearing about their plan. “I just wanted to tell you that our plan is working so far.” He gave Thomas a smirk and he let out a small laugh.

Thomas threw his arm over Newt’s shoulder. “Good, we just have to keep going. And make it more obvious of course.” Just then, as if it were some godly miracle, Rachel walked down the hall. Thomas took his chance and kissed Newt on the forehead then leaned back a little to see his face. Newt giggled in response, actually giggled, and kissed him on the cheek. If heart eyes were real, they would be perfect examples. They could both see Rachel out of the corner of their eyes when she stopped and abruptly turned around, leaving them to be the only ones left in the hall. They immediately burst out laughing, on the verge of tears. “Oh,” Thomas sighed, “This is gonna be fun.”

_ It is. It really is.  _

-

After school they met up at Thomas’ car, agreeing to go over to Newt’s house. The drive there was quiet. They were just enjoying each other’s presence. And that was enough. As long as they were together it didn’t matter what they did. They immediately went to the kitchen upon their arrival, wanting after-school snacks as if they were still in the fifth grade. They each grabbed something out of the fruit bowl. Thomas grabbed an orange while Newt grabbed a pear. Newt watched him as he peeled his orange, deft fingers removing the outer layer. He peeled the entire orange before eating the juicier parts in the center, taking each slice out one at a time. Newt just sat on the counter, legs swinging beneath him, watching. Thomas, completely oblivious to his observations, just sat on the barstool zoning out. Probably just thinking of more things to rile Teresa up.

“I’m bored,” Thomas stated as he got up and threw his peel into the garbage can. He came back around to put his hands on the counter right next to Newt, looking up at him. “I’m bored,” he repeated.

“You’re always bored.” Newt rolled his eyes and took one of the last remaining bites of his pear. 

Thomas whined, giving Newt his trademark puppy eyes, “Yeah but I’m  _ really _ bored.” Newt could never say no to those eyes, they could make him do anything. 

Newt nodded, “Alright then. What do you want to do?”

Thomas gave him a devious smirk. “There’s supposed to be a partyyy,” he drew the last word out. 

“It’s Monday.” Newt deadpanned. “Who throws bloody parties on a Monday?” He threw his hands up in the air, unbelievable. 

Thomas chuckled, “Can we please go?” 

“You don’t even like parties, Tommy, why do you want to go?”

“It’s part of our plan, remember? And she’s supposed to be there.” He took his hands off the counter and decided to hop up on their previous place, right next to Newt. Their thighs were touching. “We have to be seen with each other you slinthead.” He nudged Newt with his shoulder.

“Oh, yeah.” Newt looked off, he knew that this was all to piss Teresa off but he was beginning to feel…off. It was a weird feeling that he couldn’t describe, it just felt like there was a small hole in his stomach. Widening with every doubt that crossed his mind. **_It was always about her. He doesn’t want to spend time with you, you idiot. He’s only using you to get back at her. He doesn’t care what happens to you._ ** That voice was back. The one who was responsible for putting all those doubts into his head, weighing him down every day. He has to fight that voice. He knows that what it says are usually outlandish suggestions such as this one. He knows that Tommy wouldn’t use him like that. 

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to Newt.” He looked up, finding Thomas’ face full of compassion and understanding. 

“No, let’s go. I want to.” Newt smiled at him but he knew that Thomas wasn’t fully convinced. “Now, since I doubt anyone is going to have a party before at least 8’oclock, you wanna let me beat your ass at Mario Kart?”

Thomas smiled, “As if.” They both hopped off the counter, landing for less than ten seconds before Thomas shouted, “Race ya!” and started sprinting to Newt’s room. Newt grinned and took off after him. 

-

Once they arrived at the party and got out of the car, they stared in awe of the house that stood before them. It had at least three stories and a million windows, one could only guess at how many rooms they had. They could see the lights through the veiled windows and hear the bass of the music inside. 

“Who’s house  _ is this?” _ Newt asked in bewilderment, he didn’t even know that houses this size were even relatively close to where they lived.

“I have no idea.” They spent the next 30 seconds continuing to gape at it before realising what they were doing and deciding to actually walk into the house. 

“Are you sure you wanna be here?” Thomas asked him as they made their way towards the front door.

“Yes, Tommy, I want to be here,” Newt assured Thomas. He did, truly. He didn’t mind parties that much, it was nice to go every now and then. When they opened they were met with the distinct smell of sweat and booze. Newt grimaced, that was probably one of the worst things about parties, the smell. They entered, immediately being met by Brenda. Seriously? Was she always at a party? 

“Hey, you guys!” Her voice wasn’t slurred, either she was the designated driver, which was  _ very _ unlikely, or she had just gotten there. Newt noticed the solo cup grasped in her hand.  _ Not the designated driver I see.  _

“Hey, where is everyone?” He had to yell because the music was ear-splittingly loud. 

She pointed somewhere behind her, “They’re either over there getting drinks,” she pointed in the opposite direction, “Or over there playing the party games or whatever.” She took a drink out of her cup. Brenda never was one for party games, she preferred to drink and dance. Only when she was incredibly drunk would she resort to the party games. 

“Thanks!” Newt gave her a thumbs up before she walked away, leaving them to their own devices. “Which one do you want to do first?”

Thomas shrugged, “Drinks I guess?” Newt grabbed his hand and led him in the direction of Brenda’s pointing, finding the kitchen relatively fast. He looked at the table and tried to decide whether or not he wanted to drink. He decided on a simple beer, he didn’t want to get absolutely plastered. 

He leaned against the wall before motioning his hand towards the table.”I’ll drive tonight if you want.” Thomas nodded. “Well then, take your pick.” He smiled at Thomas. _ He deserves to have fun _ . Thomas walked forward and scanned the table, eventually choosing a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a cup off the counter and filled his cup almost halfway. “You sure you can handle that much, Tommy?” Newt teased, Thomas wasn’t a lightweight, but it didn’t take long for him to get drunk either.

Thomas had a small smile playing on his lips before taking a drink, not flinching at the burn, “Yes, Newt, I think I can handle it.” Newt held his hands up in mock surrender. “Do you wanna go see what the rest of this place looks like?” He smirked at Newt, always up for an adventure. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” 

Thomas grabbed his hand and started leading him to the stairs they were met with when they first came in. They climbed up the massive staircase only to be met with another to their left once they reached the second floor. They both shrugged and silently decided to search this floor before moving on. Thomas was still leading him, hand in his. There was an open door in the middle of the massive hallway. They walked into the room and flipped on the lights before stopping in their tracks. There were windows reaching from the floor to the ceiling and a huge chandelier hung from above. The lights in the chandelier were those fake candles, the ones that were electric but didn’t look like it. They bathed the room in a soft glow, highlighting the small gold accents around the room. There was a bed that  _ had _ to be bigger than a king-size, with a canopy bed frame. It had a cream coloured sheer curtain that was currently pulled back and tied to the posts, along with a matching duvet that had gold stripes in it. The floor was mainly bare, except for the towering bookshelf and a few chairs in the corner. 

“Oh my god.” Thomas whispered, “Who the hell needs a room this big?” 

“I have no clue.” Newt walked inside, tempted to take off his shoes because of how pristine the room was.  _ They definitely have a maid.  _ He went over to the bookshelf first and skimmed his fingers along the spines of the books. There had to be over 250, the shelves were  _ huge. _ “They’ve got a good collection though.”

“Who cares about a book collection, look at this bed!” Thomas put his cup down and then proceeded to run over and jump face-first into the bed. He landed on his stomach before gathering himself and turned to sit, legs hanging off the side.  _ At least he knew well enough to not put his shoes on the bed.  _ Newt left the books behind and joined Thomas on the bed, placing his beer on the bedside table before taking off his shoes so that he could properly sit on the bed. 

“This feels heavenly.” Newt could feel himself sinking into the soft sheets and mattress like they were clouds. Thomas ditched his shoes and laid down next to Newt, both of them facing the ceiling. Newt let his eyes close, letting himself get lost in the feeling of the bed. How warm it was. How comfortable it was. How fresh it smelled. He was genuinely about to fall asleep when he felt a hand crash into his chest. “Oi! What was that for!” He furrowed his brows, eyes aiming straight at Thomas. 

He chuckled and leaned forward to give Newt a kiss on the cheek, “To wake you up of course.” He burst into laughter at Newt’s face, gone completely slack with a pink tinge on his cheeks. “Ha, karma’s a bitch isn’t she.” Thomas crossed his arms looking at him triumphantly. 

_ It’s on.  _ Newt surged forward, tackling and pinning Thomas to the bed. “I don’t think you know what you’ve started, Tommy.” 

“I think I know exactly what I started,” Thomas smirked and licked his lips before flipping Newt over onto the bed, straddling him, and tickling him. Newt was the most ticklish person in the world. You couldn’t graze his side without him flinging away. Thomas just laughed at him as he burst into a fit of giggles.

“T- Tommy!” He tried to get out of Thomas’ grasp, but it was no use, he was trapped. “Tommy! Stop!” He attempted to use his hands and try to push him away but, once again, it was useless. “Please, Tommy! I can’t- I can’t!” Thomas tickled him for a few seconds longer before relinquishing his merciless attack. Leaning back, he allowed Newt to catch his breath. They both had red faces from the tussle. Newt was still breathing heavily, “You are a complete and utter tosser, Tommy,” they both let out small chuckles. Thomas was still straddling him, looking down and scanning his face with a look in his eyes that Newt couldn’t identify. “Tommy? Are you alright?”

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure? Cause you’re still sitting on me.” Newt tapped Thomas’ thigh as a reminder. 

Thomas gasped before scrambling off him. “I- I’m sorry, I didn’t realise,”

Newt shushed him, “Tommy, it’s alright,” he laughed. For Thomas usually being incredibly confident, he sure did turn into a rambling mess sometimes. Newt hopped off the bed and held his hand out to Thomas, “What d’you say we go and get some more drinks, yeah?” Thomas nodded, blush still evident on his face. “Maybe we could play some of those party games Brenda mentioned earlier too.”

They walked out and back down the stairs before going back to the kitchen. Thomas went for the whiskey again, filling his surprisingly nearly empty cup.  _ When did he drink all that?  _ He went to the fridge to get another beer. It took many, many drinks of hard liquor for Newt to even get buzzed so a few beers wouldn’t inhibit his driving. Thomas chugged a little bit of his drink, still having plenty left in it before heading in the direction of the supposed party games. He looked back at Newt to make sure he was following him before continuing to make his way to the other corner, pushing and squeezing through the crowd. A few games were going on at the same time, spin the bottle, suck and blow, and something else that Newt didn’t know the name of. But, Minho was over there so they joined him.

“Hey mate, what’s going on?” 

“Seven minutes in heaven.” Minho wiggled his eyebrows at them with a smirk spread wide across his face. 

“Oh, yeah I think we’ll go play something else,” He began to stand up before Minho grabbed his hand.

“No, stayy,” He begged him. Newt looked over to Thomas, silently asking him if he wanted to stay and play the game. He just shrugged in response. “Yes!” Minho’s fist pumped into the air.

Thomas leaned over, “So, what’re the rules?” 

“Someone spins the bottle and then whoever it lands on gets to pick the two people who go into the closet. But they can’t pick themselves obviously.” 

Newt groaned,  _ this was not going to be fun.  _ The person to the left of Minho spun the bottle, it landed on some brunette guy. He chose a girl that he knew was one of his sister’s friends.  _ Miyoko, that’s her name.  _ Along with her, he chose a blond guy that Newt didn’t know. They went into the closet for their time so while they waited they chatted.

“So when did you guys get here?” The music was still booming so Minho had to shout.

Newt checked his phone, “Uh, about an hour ago.”

“Where did you guys go then? I got here like an hour and a half ago and I haven’t seen you guys till now.”

“We went to explore the house,” Thomas answered, “It’s like a maze.”

“Oh, explore the  _ house _ huh? Sure you didn’t explore anything else?” Newt smacked him on the arm as Minho burst into a fit of giggles. 

“Leave it alone you twat.” 

“Alright, alright!” he quit after Newt’s signature cold stare. The couple came out once their time was up. Miyoko was blushing while the guy was grinning. He had a small smear of lipstick near the corner of his mouth. The next person spun. It decided to land on the one and only Minho.  _ God hates me, _ Newt thinks. He immediately looked over to Newt and Thomas with the biggest smirk Newt had ever seen. He put his hand under his chin in mock consideration. “I think I’ll go with… Newt and Thomas!” Minho stood, grabbing both of them by the backs of their shirts. He walked them -pushed them more like- all the way to the closet door. “Remember, it’s  _ only seven minutes.  _ That’s all you get. So, don’t take it too far.” He winked before going back to the circle. “Have fun!”

Newt just looked at Thomas like a deer in headlights. Thomas wrapped his hand around Newt's arm before pulling him into the closet. They shut the door and someone shouted a small ‘go’ as a time marker. The closet was small and there was barely any light. But, it was big enough that they could both lean back on the walls, even though it only left about an inch between them. “So…” Newt trailed off, this was awkward.

“So?” 

Newt put his hands in his pockets, trying to distract himself from what was going on in his head. “So, do you want to do anything? We could just talk if-” Newt was cut off by the hands finding his waist, pulling him closer. He could feel Thomas’ breath against his cheek. “What’re you doing, Tommy?” His voice had lowered to a whisper and his eyes had already dropped to Thomas' lips.

There was enough light for him to see Thomas’ small smile. “We have to make it look like we did  _ something,  _ don't we  _ baby?”  _ Thomas laughed at the small nickname he knew Newt hated but, at that moment, Newt couldn’t care less. “Newt?” He looked back up to Tommy’s eyes and saw slight doubt and concern in them. “Is this okay? We don't have to do anything if you want obv-” 

It was Newt’s turn to cut him off. His hands fisted into the fabric across Thomas’ chest and yanked him forward. Their lips met in a desperate, long-awaited kiss. Newt could taste the whiskey on his tongue, sweet but still strong. From now on, it would be his favourite taste. He could feel Thomas’ lips slide with his, slightly chapped but still smooth and perfect. And he could feel Thomas’ heartbeat against his hands. He could hear his own heartbeat reverberating in his ears like deafening thunder. He began to pull back, trailing his hands from Thomas’ chest to the base of his neck, playing with the small hairs there. But as soon as he did Thomas moved his lips down to Newt’s neck, sucking and biting along the way. Newt let out a tiny whimper and tugged at the brunette locks as Thomas attached his mouth to his pulse point, sure to leave another love bite among the others already forming. “Tommy…” he breathed out.

“Yes?”

“Wh- why are you-  _ ah _ ,” Thomas cut him off again with a small nip to his already sensitive neck, sending chills down Newt’s spine and stomach. “Why are you doing this?”

Thomas lifted his head for a second to make eye-contact with him, smirking. “We gotta make sure they know what went on in here, don't we?” Newt nodded lazily and went to kiss him again. They only had a few more moments of their uninterrupted bliss before someone knocked on the door and immediately opened it, giving them no chance whatsoever to compose themselves. Newt’s hands were tangled in Thomas’ now disheveled hair while Thomas’ hands were still tightly gripped onto Newt’s hips. Both of their heads snapped towards the door as they stood in shock before Minho let out a loud whoop that echoed throughout the room due to the others cheering with him. Thomas pulled his hands away from Newt, who did the same, before stepping out of the closet. He had a blush on his cheeks, whether from their previous actions or embarrassment. Newt figured it was both and was certain that he had a matching tint to his face as well. 

“Looks like you two had fun,” Minho laughed at them, knowing that this was all his doing. Newt almost wanted to thank him. If he hadn’t chosen them then they never would’ve had their little escapade. It was amazing. It was better than he ever imagined it would be. Someone would quite literally have to erase his memories and bleach his skin for him to forget what just happened. But Newt had the feeling that if anyone did do that, it still wouldn’t work. Nothing could make him forget that. Nothing could make him forget how Thomas' lips felt against his own. How tight the hands on his hips were. How the hair in his hands felt. How Thomas’ tongue felt against his neck.  _ Nothing could make him forget that.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I've never actually been to a party so this is mainly just based on movies and other fics I've read so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	9. Air hockey, Pool, and Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, yeah." Newt waved him off but there was still humour in his voice. Newt glanced around the room, eyes sparking when he landed on the pool table. "You may be able to beat me in air hockey, but I can destroy you at pool." He smirked at Thomas, and he knew he was right. Thomas was absolutely horrible at pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bit of a wait, school is kicking my ass. Also, who else has finished crank palace? That epilogue took me out, I couldn't stop crying. Anyways, enjoy!!
> 
> Thomas pov

Thomas looked around the room, still breathing heavily. The combination of the closet shenanigans and the ever-growing body heat made Thomas hot and sweaty. He needed a drink. He looked behind him and caught Newt’s eye, motioning towards the kitchen. He made his way there, not bothering to check behind him because he knew Newt would follow him. He always did. He had reached the alcohol and went for the whiskey again, fully prepared to pour himself a third cup. This one fuller than the last. But before he could finish, Newt’s hand wrapped around his wrist. 

“You might want to slow down, Tommy.” 

But Thomas didn’t want to slow down, he wanted more whiskey. It made him more confident, bolder. It really was liquid courage. “It’s okay, Newt, I can handle it.” He gave Newt a reassuring smile. Newt didn’t look that convinced but let Thomas’ arm go.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful. Can’t have you die on me from alcohol poisoning,” He chuckled, but his eyes still had worry in them.

“I promise.” He smiled at Newt before chugging what was left of his drink. Newt’s face morphed into shock. Thomas poured more in his cup, “Now, what do you say we finish exploring this house? Come on!” He grabbed Newt’s hand and started dragging him back upstairs. “I wanna see how many rooms this place has.”

They stopped on the second floor and counted the doors, six in total, before taking the next flight of stairs. “This place is bloody huge.” Newt was staring down the corridor in amazement. The hallway was almost as big as a school one, with doors lining each side all the way down. The walls had paintings between every other door. The kinds that were expensive as hell even though it was just smears of paint. Most of the doors were open so they looked into each one. They happened across a closet that was nearly as big as Newt's entire _ room. _ "Seriously, who the hell owns this place?"

Thomas shrugged, "I don't know. But what I do know, is that they have a fuck ton of money."

"You're right on that one, mate."

Thomas stopped and turned around, "What did we say about calling me 'mate'?" He stepped closer to Newt and scanned his face. His eyes landed on his lips. They were still slightly red from their time in the closet. Thomas knew that it was one of his favourite colours. 

Newt rolled his eyes, "We said that I should stop calling you that because coupl-" 

Thomas has put his finger against his mouth, shushing him. "Ah, ah, ah." He leaned in and put his mouth next to Newt's ear, "Can't have you giving away our secret," he pulled back, " _ Baby."  _ He smirked, knowing the pet name drove Newt crazy.  _ I wonder what else I could do to drive him crazy.  _ His inebriated mind kept going to places sober Thomas wouldn't normally let it. He knows he shouldn't think about things like that,  _ especially  _ if he imagines his  _ best friend _ in those scenarios.

Newt rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that night and scoffed. "Sorry,  _ honey.  _ Let's go finish checking out the rooms, yeah?" Thomas nodded as Newt led him through the hallway. There was only one other door open. It was only slightly cracked, they wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for the light spilling out into the hall. 

It's a game room. It had foosball, air hockey, a pinball machine, a  _ casino slot machine _ , and a pool table. Much like earlier, they were stunned. Overcome with awe at the sheer size of the room, and what was in it. 

"Bloody hell, who the shuck has a  _ slot machine  _ in their  _ house? _ "

"I don't know and right now I don't really care, look at all this cool stuff!" Thomas runs around the room pointing at each game like a small child. Newt laughed at his enthusiasm, and Thomas loves that laugh more than anything. He'd reached the air hockey table and grinned mischievously at Newt. "Come play with me." He nodded and started walking over. "So I can beat your ass," he says under his breath. 

"Is that a challenge, Tommy? Cause, if so, you're dead wrong. It is I, Newton Isaacs, that will beat  _ your  _ ass _ ,  _ Thomas Greene."

"Oh, I'd like to see you try." He turned on the machine and grabbed the puck first. He laid it down on the table before placing the pusher behind it, preparing himself. After losing so many rounds of Mario Kart, he had to win this one. He had to show Newt who the  _ real _ boss was. He looked at Newt, making eye contact and keeping it for longer than necessary, trying to distract Newt so that he could catch him off guard. He didn't, of course. He thought he had moved a fast as lightning, but his nearly drunken state had left him a little slower than normal. 

They played multiple rounds, Newt had won the first one, but after that Thomas beat him  _ every time _ . Just like he said he would. They decided to stop after their 8th round, mainly due to Newt's small huffing and puffing. "Haha," Thomas waved a finger at Newt, "Told you soooo."

"Yeah, yeah." Newt waved him off but there was still humour in his voice. Newt glanced around the room, eyes sparking when he landed on the pool table. "You may be able to beat me in air hockey, but I can  _ destroy _ you at pool." He smirked at Thomas, and he knew he was right. Thomas was absolutely  _ horrible _ at pool. Still, he accepted the challenge and stepped over to the pool table, grabbing the cue ball and a stick while Newt set up the rest. "You wanna go first?"

"Yes, yes I do." Thomas walked to the end of the table, lining his stick up with the cue. He was about to hit it when Newt leaned into his side and grabbed his hands, repositioning them. "What're you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm helping you." He moved his fingers according to Newt's instructions and found it much easier to hold the stick. "See? Much better." He walked back around, facing him off. "Now hit the ball." He did as he was told and sent each ball flying to a different spot on the table. One of the stripes went in, making it Thomas' group to try and eliminate. He watched Newt sink his assigned balls in easily, smirking at Thomas each time, purposefully rubbing it in his face. 

Thomas had a plan to wipe that smirk off his face. The next time Newt went to sink a ball, Thomas snuck up behind him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around him and tucked his head into Newt's neck. The latter faltered for a quick second, which resulted in him missing. "Tommy, come on, you made me miss." He whined, but Thomas could hear the slight shake to his voice. 

"Am I not allowed to hug you?" He spoke directly into Newt's neck, not moving his head at all. 

"N- no, that's not what I-"

"Have I told you that you look really pretty tonight?" Newt went quiet. "Cause you do. You and your fluffy blond hair. I love your hair, makes you even prettier." He nuzzled into Newt's neck before letting him turn around to face him. The blush on Newt's cheeks almost matching the colour of his lips from before. "And your eyes. They're probably my favourite thing about you. They're beautiful, really." Newt's mouth had opened slightly, as if he had wanted to say something, before snapping shut. "You're just really pretty." It wasn't his most eloquent speech, but it was enough to get his point across.

"Tommy, you're drunk I shouldn't have even let it get this far. You won't even remember this by tomorrow."

"That doesn't matter. What matters right now is that I think you're pretty." He leaned forward, lips brushing Newt's. " _ Really _ pretty," he finished moving forward and connected their lips.  _ Newt is a really good kisser,  _ his mind noted.  _ Better than Teresa. _

The moment was cut short when Newt pulled away. "I think it's about time to get you home, Tommy."

He pouted, "Why? We're having so much fun." Despite him normally not liking parties, he wanted to stay at this one. "I don't wanna go home." He tightened his grip around Newt's middle, "I wanna stay here. With you." He could see the torn look in Newt's eyes, debating on whether or not he should take him home. 

He sighed, "Fine. But no more drinking." He pointed a small finger in Thomas' face. Thomas grinned and tried to playfully bite it. "Oh my God, you're insufferable." Newt rolled his eyes.

"No I'm not, you're just a grumpy old man," Thomas laughed and rubbed his nose against Newt's.

"You're such a sappy drunk." Newt feigned annoyance but he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice. He looked away for a second before tapping the back of Thomas' arms, "Alright, let's go back downstairs. Wouldn't want Minho to get any more material." He winked at Thomas before slightly pushing him backward so that he could step out of Thomas' grasp and move toward the door. He held a hand out, making a grabbing motion, "Come on,  _ honey,  _ let's go."

Thomas immediately reached for his hand and followed him. Newt laughed at him as he started skipping down the hallway. "What are you laughing at?"

"Just you."

"Rude." Newt rolled his eyes. "You know, if you keep rolling your eyes like that, they'll get stuck." He saw Newt nearly roll his eyes again before stopping himself. They made their way back down the stairs and onto the main floor, it seemed as if  _ more _ people had shown up. Thomas had no clue as to how though. The place was already packed enough. In his inebriated state, it didn't bother him that much. In fact, he didn't care at all. "Do you wanna dance?" He turned to Newt who was looking at him like he'd grown a second head. 

"Tommy, you  _ hate  _ dancing."

"I know. But I wanna dance  _ now,  _ please?" He made puppy eyes, knowing that they were Newt's kryptonite. "Pretty, pretty, please?"

"Ugh, fine."

Thomas clapped his hands, "Yes! Come on!" He dragged Newt over to the sea of bodies in the middle of the room and pulled him close. "Now, you know I don't do this often so don't make fun of my bad dancing."

Newt laughed, "I'm not going to be any better." 

"Well, then this should be  _ extra _ fun." He winked before grabbing Newt's waist, giving him a playful squeeze before starting to move to the music. They start off slow, trying to get the hang of it and match the beat of the song. Once they get to a point where they, sort of, know what to do they take it up a notch. Newt's hands are resting on Thomas' shoulders while his hands are still glued to Newt's hips. They've gotten into a groove of sorts, slightly grinding, but not enough to trigger any reactions. Although, in Thomas' drunken stupor, he wants to. He wants to get closer, as close as he can get. So he does. He moves closer to Newt and slides a knee between his legs, he can hear the small gasp fall out of Newt's lips over the music. 

"Is this okay?" Even in his compromised state, he doesn't want to make Newt uncomfortable. Newt nods so he continues his movements, this time moving his thigh back and forth along with raising it slightly. He's being a tease, he knows it and he loves it. He loves the blush, that's so bright he can see it in the dim lights, on Newt's cheeks. He loves the way his breathing becomes a little unsteady. The way Newt leans into him, moving his hands behind his head and playing with the strands there, is absolutely divine.  _ Why didn't I like dancing before? This is great. I could do this every day and never get bored, this is fun.  _ They're having a great time, laughing and dancing when Thomas feels a finger tap on his shoulder. He turns around in confusion,  _ who would want to talk to him now of all times, can they not see that he's busy? _ The person who interrupted them is none other than the witch herself. Teresa.

"Tom? Can I talk to you?"

"What do you want, Teresa?" She flinches at the name, he's hardly ever called her by her full name. He'd always called her 'T'. Not anymore though. Not after what she did. 

"I just want to talk to you, can we go somewhere else? Maybe somewhere more quiet. And alone?" She glances at Newt, obviously talking about him. Thomas makes a face at her before agreeing, he does want to hear what she has to say. 

She leads him to the room he and Newt had seen earlier that night, the gold lining the room wasn't as bright as before. It's almost like she drained the colour out of everything, the only thing not affected being her piercing blue eyes. She sat down on the bed once they entered while Thomas decided to stand, just in case he needed to leave in a hurry. 

"Are you alright, Tom?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I uh- I was worried we ended on bad terms." She was wringing her hands,  _ she was nervous _ . 

Thomas scoffed. "Bad terms? I'd say finding you cheating on me was more than bad."

"I told you it was a mistake, Tom! I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Teresa, don't try to play me. We both know that you're no lightweight and we'd been at that party for less than an hour. So, unless you chugged a whole bottle of vodka within the first 30 minutes, you being drunk isn't really the best excuse."

"I'm not making excuses Tom! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Says the girl who acted like she loved me for an entire year." He rolled his eyes, beginning to pick up on Newt's habits.

"I did love you, Tom." She looked down at her hands and whispered, "I still do."

Thomas laughed, "Oh that's rich coming from you, Teresa." He scoffed again, "You know, at one time, I probably would've believed you. But not anymore. I'm not going to give into you again." He had started making his way to the door before she grabbed him by the arm.

"Please, Tom."

He ripped his arm away from her, "Don't touch me." He left her behind without another word. 

He nearly ran down the stairs, he needed to find Newt. He went straight for the kitchen, not expecting him to be waiting in the tangle of bodies all by himself. He was right, as it turns out. Newt was leaned up against the counter, nursing a small cup of what Thomas assumed to be water.  _ Newt never was that much of a drinker. _

"Newt!" He waved an arm in the air to get his attention. He could see the relief that flooded Newt's face when he caught sight of him. 

"There you are! I was beginning to get worried!" He came over and hugged Thomas, wrapping his arms around his neck as Thomas' hands found their place on the small of his back. Newt leaned back enough to see his face, but not enough to step out of his grasp. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Newt furrowed his brows in doubt. "No really, I'm good. She just surprised me, is all."

"Do you want to leave?" 

Newt could read him like an open book. "Yeah actually. I do." Newt nodded and led him out by his hand, fingers tightly intertwined. Thomas handed the keys over to Newt before climbing into the passenger seat. 

They had driven a few roads back before Newt asked, "Did she say anything to you?"

"Just that she made a mistake and that she missed me and still loves me. You know, the usual bullshit." He looked out the window. This night was too similar to the night he found her with Aris. It always ended with her giving him fake apologies and him leaving. 

They pulled into Thomas' driveway and got out of the car. Thomas almost tripped on the stairs leading up to his door but, as always, Newt was there to catch him. "I think it's time we get you to bed." Newt continued to guide him through the house and up to his room. He sat Thomas down in his bed before walking over to his dresser and getting him some pajamas. "Here, put these on. I'll go get you some water and Tylenol." 

Thomas looked down at the clothes Newt had picked out for him, a blue top and soft black sweatpants. He was already quite warm so he just put on the pants, opting out on the top. He laid down on the bed, fingertips massaging his temples. He was  _ so  _ going to regret this the next morning. Especially since he had school tomorrow.  _ Fuck. _

"Here you go, Tommy, this ought to help." He walked in and nearly stumbled, unbeknownst to Thomas whose eyes were closed. "What happened to your shirt?" He walked over and set the Tylenol on the table and tapped him on the shoulder to get him to sit up. 

"Too hot," Thomas mumbled as he reached for the glass of water. "Thank you so much, Newt."

"It's no problem, Tommy."

"I hate that you have to take care of me all the time." Newt handed him the pills, which he took quickly, throwing them in his mouth before chugging nearly half of his water. 

"I think that goes both ways, Tommy. We take care of each other." He leaned down and raked a hand through Thomas' hair, pushing it back from his forehead. 

"Mm, can you play with my hair? It helps with the headache." 

Newt looked at him with fondness, "Yeah, course." He climbed into bed next to him and opened his arms. "Get comfortable." Thomas let a small smile play on his lips before laying down by Newt's side and resting his head in his chest. He could hear his heartbeat. He threw an arm across Newt's middle and snuggled closer. 

He hummed as Newt toyed with his hair, slightly scratching his scalp at times. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Tommy. You know I'd do anything you wanted me to." 

Thomas believed him. 


	10. Coverup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Woohoo! Look at you two!” Minho yelled across the classroom as soon as he stepped foot into their chemistry class. He flinched and immediately went to raise his collar in a useless attempt to cover his neck. “Someone had fun.” He smirked and winked at them. He was always teasing him. He never got a break.
> 
> “Please shut up, Min,” He whined, he did not want to be reminded about his appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry for the wait, writers block is a bitch. And so is school. But, like I said, I won't give up on this fic. Anyways, enjoy!! <3

An utterly annoyed groan was let out at the ringing of Newt’s alarm. It was Tuesday, and his best friend had a  _ raging  _ hangover. 

“Oh. My. God. Turn. That. Off.”

Newt rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Since he didn’t drink much, all he had was a small headache. “What?” He tried to sit up only to be restricted by the head on his chest and arm wrapped around his waist. 

Thomas tightened his hold, “Turn it off,” He whined, eyes still screwed shut. Newt chuckled and reached into his pocket to stop the vicious assault on Thomas’ brain. “Ungh…” He only snuggled closer to Newt, sighing. “It feels like World War three is happening in my head.”

“I told you to slow down last night.” 

“I know, I know. What even happened last ni-,” Thomas had lifted his head to speak before his eyes caught on the clusters of hickeys that littered Newt’s neck. “I- who gave you  _ those? _ ” 

Of course, he wouldn’t remember. Newt didn’t know if he was more glad about it or upset. At least he didn’t have to tell Thomas everything, just the key parts. Which was incredibly embarrassing, but he needed to know. “Who do you think?” Thomas opened and shut his mouth trying to say something. “It was you. Who else would’ve it been?” He smiled at Thomas’ slight idiocy. 

“I- I’m sorry?” He phrased it as a question as if he wasn’t telling the full truth.

Newt only shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” It really wasn’t, at least, not in his mind. It was actually quite nice, but he couldn’t let Thomas know that obviously.

“Are you sure? Because those seem like a pretty big deal to me.”

Newt looked down to see what he could, which was only the ones that were near his collarbone. They were a dark shade of purple. _ Okay, maybe a bigger deal than I had previously thought.  _ “Uh, okay, this may be a little worse than I thought.” How the hell was he going to go to school like this? And this was only what he could see, he didn’t want to imagine what the rest of his neck looked like.

“Oh my God. How did that even happen?”

“Minho made us play seven minutes in heaven.” This didn’t require much explanation. 

Thomas went to slump his head back into Newt’s chest and winced at the blunt contact. “Fuck. Ow.” He took a deep breath, “Did we do anything else?”

Newt’s face turned a bright shade of red, thank god Thomas couldn’t see him. “Uh, not really. We explored the house and found all these huge rooms.” Newt took in a deep breath, “Andwemighthavedanced,” He said it all in a flash.

“We danced? I hate dancing.” 

“Not last night apparently.” He could feel the heat settle onto his cheeks from the memory. “Teresa also came and talked to you. You didn’t tell me exactly what she said, only that she kept making more excuses and claiming that she still loved you.” 

Thomas scoffed, “Yeah, right.” 

Newt went to move, the stiffness in his bones was practically screaming at him, only to be held down by Thomas’ arm. “Noooo, please. Let’s stay,” Thomas hummed. 

Newt rolled his eyes, “Tommy, it’s Tuesday. We have school.” He gave Thomas a pat on the back, trying to signal him to get up. He didn’t.

“So? We can skip.”

“You know we can’t do that, Tommy.” He wished he could, but he had a test in his English class.

“Why not?”

“Because, Tommy, we have things to do. I have a test, and don’t you have a project due in your art class?”

“Fuck. You’re right.” He sat up, a little too fast, and whimpered. “That was a bad idea.” 

Newt laughed slightly, “Yeah, try and move a little slower next time, Tommy.” He only got a dismissive murmur in return. “I’ll go get you something to sober you up.” He tried to get off the bed without jostling it too much and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of slices of bread and popped them in the toaster before grabbing a skillet and some eggs. He cooked the eggs just like Thomas liked, scrambled with pepper and salt, and put them on a plate along with the toast. He filled up a tall glass of water before returning to Thomas’ room. He hadn’t moved much, just sitting back to lean on his headboard for support. His eyes were still closed and his brows still furrowed in pain. “Here you go.”

Thomas opened his eyes, “Oh my God, thank you so much Newt.” He brought the plate over to him and set the glass on the table before joining him, stealing a small piece of eggs. “This is so good,” He moaned.

“I know. And you’re welcome.” He smiled at Thomas and got a matching grin in response. “You’re lucky to have a friend like me.”

Thomas’ smile faltered a bit before recovering. “Hell yeah, I am.” He finished his food, sipping his water intermittently before downing it in one gulp, sighing in content. “Thank you. That was absolutely amazing.”

“It’s no problem, Tommy.” He clapped his hands onto his thighs. “Alright then, we ought to get ready for school or we’re going to be late.” Thomas let out another groan, covering his eyes with his hands. Newt leaned forward and pulled his hands from his face, “Come on, Tommy.”

“Fine,” he huffed. He got up slow and steadily. He felt better but didn’t want to risk it. “We could still skip,” he offered.

“We are not going to skip, Tommy.” He got up and realised he didn’t have a change of clothes. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Thomas was on his way towards his dresser to get his own change of clothes. 

“I don’t have a change of clothes, and we don’t have time to stop by my house,” He sighed. He was going to have to wear his dirty clothes to school. Gross.

“You could just,” Thomas waved a hand to his dresser, “Wear some of mine.” His cheeks had produced a small pink tinge. 

“Are you sure?” He eyed Thomas. They had borrowed clothes before, but now it just felt… different.

“Yeah,” He turned around and grabbed a light grey top and tossed it to him. “Here you go. I doubt my jeans will fit you so you’ll just have to deal with those, sorry.” 

“S’fine.” Newt pulled his shirt off, tossing it in Thomas’ hamper, and put on the clean shirt. It was slightly big on him,  _ Thomas definitely had more muscles than him.  _ It was soft and comfortable, as were most of Thomas’ clothes. He’d borrowed plenty of Thomas’ clothes before, less and less as they got older due to their size difference. Newt remembers one time Thomas had to borrow a shirt from him and it was so tight it quite literally almost ripped. They had laughed their heads off for a straight five minutes after that. He chuckled at the memory.

“What’s so funny?” Thomas asked over his shoulder. Newt was about to answer him but the sight of Thomas with no shirt on left him a little speechless. You could see the muscles of his back ripple under the skin of his back, adding depth to his tan skin. His moles traveled all the way across his back, dotting here and there. Newt had seen him shirtless many, many times but it was as if he saw Thomas in a different way now. He blamed it on last night’s actions.

“Uh, nothing. Just that one time you nearly ripped one of my shirts cause it was so tight on you,” He let out a choked laugh, hoping Thomas wouldn’t notice.

Thomas let out his own chuckle, “Oh, yeah. I remember that.” After he’d thrown his shirt in the direction of his hamper, he moved to take off his pants. Newt turned away at a speed that could rival a lighting bolt.  _ Stop that. Stop that right now.  _ He shook his head to clear his mind and took a sharp breath, trying to steer his thoughts in an acceptable direction.

“Hey, Newt?” He turned and was greeted with a fully clothed Thomas. He couldn’t decide if he was disappointed or grateful. 

“Yeah?”

“Can you pass me my belt?”

“Sure.” He leaned down and picked up the belt by his bed. “Here.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth,” He said quickly and made a beeline for the bathroom. He’d had a toothbrush at Thomas’ house since they were little. They spent so much time together it just made sense. He rested his hands on the counter, taking small but deep breaths.  _ Get it together. Why does this happen every time? _ He grabbed his toothbrush, getting it wet and applying toothpaste, before looking at his reflection.  _ Fuck. Tommy wasn’t exaggerating when he said that they were bad.  _ The love bites one his neck covered from just below his ear to his collarbone. And they were  _ dark _ . There was no explanation for this one. Minho was going to tease him for the rest of his life. He groaned as Thomas stepped in the bathroom next to him and picked up his own toothbrush.

“What’s wrong?” Newt vaguely motioned toward his neck. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” The colour on Thomas’ cheeks was unmistakable. 

“It’s okay. It’s not like I stopped you or anything,” he replied through the foam filling his mouth.

“Yeah, why didn’t you by the way?” He turned towards Newt in question, placing his toothbrush in his mouth.

“Uh,” Newt looked down,  _ this is embarrassing.  _ “Well, we were in there and you said it would help the plan so I just, let you? I guess?” He could feel the blush rise to his face, it probably covered his whole body honestly. He filled the nearby cup with water before swishing it in his mouth and spitting it out, wiping his face with the back of his hand afterward. He put a hand on the small of Thomas’ back, a cue for him to move forward so he could slide by. He obliged. “I ought to grab a jacket.” He stepped out and back into Thomas’ room, looking for a jacket with a fairly high neckline. His eyes landed on a forest green sweatshirt.  _ It’ll have to do. _ He sat on the bed, waiting for Thomas to return.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

They made their way to the front door, slipping on their shoes and grabbing Thomas’ keys. 

-

“Woohoo! Look at you two!” Minho yelled across the classroom as soon as he stepped foot into their chemistry class. He flinched and immediately went to raise his collar in a useless attempt to cover his neck. “Someone had fun.” He smirked and winked at them. He was always teasing him. He never got a break.

“Please shut up, Min,” He whined, he did not want to be reminded about his appearance. 

“No, no, this is absolute gold.” He pulled out his phone to take a picture but before he could, Thomas snatched his phone. “Aw, come on, give it back!”

Thomas waved it, “Only if you promise not to take pictures.” Minho went to agree, “Or tweet about it.” Thomas gave him a warning look. 

Minho sighed dejectedly, “Fine.”

Thomas smiled and handed it back, “Thank you.” He sat down in his usual spot next to Newt and put his arm around him, natural as ever. Newt felt like he was going to explode.

Despite his need to combust, he clasped his hands together in a praying motion. “Aw, my hero.” He looked at him lovingly, which wasn’t hard at all. Thomas only grinned and kissed him on the forehead.

Minho pretended to gag, “Ugh, get a room you two.”

“If I remember correctly, it was  _ you  _ who put us in a room in the first place,” Newt chided. This  _ was _ partially Minho’s fault.

Minho waved a finger, “I may have put you two in the room, but I did not make you do  _ that. _ You did that all on your own.”

“Touche.”

Brenda waltzed in, “Hey lose-,” She stopped dead in her tracks, “What the hell are  _ those?”  _ Newt groaned as Minho laughed.  _ This was going to be the worst day ever. _

-

Newt had arrived at his pre-cal class before Harriet and Frypan. He prepared himself for the onslaught of teasing that was about to come his way.  _ At least they can’t be any worse than Minho.  _ He laid his head down on his arms, tilting his head to the side that way he could see, but still covered up most of the bruises on his neck. His friends arrived to class and sat down like they normally did, thankfully not noticing the obvious. That all went out the window as soon as the teacher asked Newt to sit up and pay attention.

“Yeah, sorry.” He sat up as told and momentarily forgot about the state of his skin until Harriet decided to comment on it.

“Oh my God Newt! Your neck!” She all but shouted, causing half the class to whip their heads around and stare. Teresa being included. Her jaw had gone slack and her eyebrows shot up so far they nearly reached her hairline. She quickly recovered and set her face to a hard scowl before turning around, Newt could see the huff she let out from his seat.

He elbowed Harriet in the ribs, “Harriet! Quiet down!” He had to whisper-yell so as to not cause any more unneeded attention cast his way. 

She stared at him in shock before curling her lips into a smile so large it almost matched the Cheshire cats. “Frypan, look at blondie’s neck.” She pushed Newt to the side so that Frypan could get a clear view. 

“Wow.”

“Right? Looks like somebody went to the party last night.” Newt’s face flushed crimson  _ again.  _

He elbowed both of them, “Leave it alone will you? I’ve already heard enough from Minho and, trust me, that was enough.”

“I’m just surprised,” Frypan added.

“Why?” He pouted, he was tired of this conversation but still wanted to know Frypan’s answer.

“I don’t know, I guess I never thought of you doing stuff like this.”

“Elaborate please?”

“Like in a relationship.”

“And why not?” He turned to face him fully, crossing his arms and frowning at him.

“You’ve just never been in one. You covered in hickeys is not an image I’ve ever thought I’d see.”

“Well, I should bloody hope not.” He kept his straight face for a moment longer before bursting into quiet laughter with the two of them. 

“You three in the back, hush.” The teacher scolded. They all stifled their chortling before returning their attention to the lesson. 

-

The school day was over before he knew it. After the endless teasing from his friends, he was ready to leave. He went to meet up with Thomas in front of the school like usual, eyes staring at the concrete in distraction. He felt arms wrap around his middle and lift him off the ground, spinning him in a circle.

He let out a small sound of surprise before he was returned to the ground and greeted with the culprit. “Tommy! What the hell? You almost gave me a bloody heart attack!” He feigned anger but his face betrayed him.

Thomas chuckled, “Sorry,  _ baby,  _ didn’t mean to scare you.” He started walking forward and placed his hand on Newt’s hip, guiding him towards the car. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to Newt’s temple. 

“Whatever,  _ honey _ , just please don’t try and kill me next time you see me. Good that?”

“Good that.” Thomas beamed. You would’ve thought it was genuine if it wasn’t for their situation.

They reached their destination and got in the car. After Newt got buckled in, he looked through the windshield and made direct eye contact with none other than Teresa. She was about to get in someone else’s car,  _ probably one of her friends.  _ Her eyes blazed with her signature hellfire before disappearing into the passenger side. The car took off only seconds later, tearing out of the parking lot. 

“Who was that?” Thomas asked as he started the car, beginning to back out of their spot.

“Teresa. She was glaring daggers at me before she hopped in and left.”

“Oh.” Newt wasn’t able to read Thomas’ expression. “Do you wanna go for some coffee? I could do with some caffeine.”

“That sounds amazing.”

-

After they had ordered their respective drinks, they sat at their usual table in the corner. “So, how was your day?” Thomas had gathered multiple of the little creamer containers they left on the tables and began making a small tower with them.

“It was fine. Well, as good as it could’ve been with these all over my neck.” He motioned towards the hickeys. “Got stares all day, Minho was the worst about it obviously. And Harriet thought it was fine to yell about it during class.” He rolled his eyes. “And how about your day?”

“Minho didn’t leave me alone about it either. Kept calling me a suckerfish during English.” Newt chuckled at that one. “And Chuck had heard about it too. It’s amazing how fast word travels, right?” He asked, albeit sarcastically. 

“Right.” The barista brought them their drinks, smiling as they left. Newt sipped his drink and almost moaned right then and there in the cafe. “They always put the right amount of honey in it.”

“It’s probably because you always get the same thing. ‘Peppermint tea with honey please.’” He tried to copy Newt’s accent, failing terribly. 

“It’s not my fault it’s good,” He huffed. It was true, it’s delicious. Thomas laughed in reply before sipping his latte. He had quite a bit of foam leftover on the side of his mouth. “You’ve got something there.” He pointed out, motioning at his face. Thomas wiped his face, missing it completely. Newt shook his head so Thomas tried again, still unsuccessful. “Here, let me.” They both leaned forward and Newt swiped his thumb across the foam, removing it from his face. Neither of them moved, both of them freezing on the spot.  _ Did he just do that?  _ He was staring at Thomas’ honey brown eyes as he moved forward and licked the foam from Newt’s thumb. 

_ What. The. Fuck.  _ Newt was practically frozen in shock.  _ Why did he do that? What was that for? What was going on? First all the hickeys and now this?  _ Questions flew through Newt’s mind a mile a minute before Thomas leaned back and gave him a simple and nonchalant, “Thanks.”  _ How the fuck was he so calm? He literally just  _ **_licked_ ** _ foam off my  _ **_finger_ ** _.  _

“No problem,” Newt all but whispered. He took another sip of his tea and stared at the table.  _ Tommy’s just a friend. Just a friend. Tommy’s just a friend. Just a friend,  _ he had to repeat this mantra in his head in hopes that his mind would go PG-13 again.  _ Stop that. Get it together. _

“You alright, Newt?” He looked up and made eye contact with Thomas, slight concern etched into his features. 

“Yeah, m’good,” He choked out.  _ Just a friend. Get it together. It doesn’t mean anything. Nothing at all.  _

“Newt?” Thomas was waving a hand in front of his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine. Just zoned out for a minute, sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked what you wanted to do after this?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Wanna head back to my place? Watch some more movies.” Newt totally didn’t want to address the fact that he liked watching movies with him was so that he could stare at Thomas without being noticed. Or the fact that they got to cuddle sometimes. That wasn’t the reason. Nope, not at all. They just both liked watching movies. A lot. 

“That sounds good to me. What do you wanna watch?” 

“Um… we could continue our Marvel marathon? We were on Age of Ultron, right?” 

“I think so. But yeah, that sounds fun.” Thomas took another sip of his drink and, thankfully, there wasn’t any more foam on his face.  _ Thank you, God. I would lose my buggin’ mind if there was.  _ They finished their drinks, throwing them away as they stepped out the door. They got into Thomas’ car and began their drive home. About halfway there, Thomas took his hand off the wheel and made its way over to Newt. It looked like he was about to rest his hand on Newt’s thigh but realised what he was doing and quickly recovered by placing his hand on the gearshift.  _ Odd,  _ was all Newt could think. He let out a small cough before parking in the driveway. They were greeted by Sonya on their way in. 

“Hey Newtie, how’s it going?” 

“Fine, just a long day.”

“That’s what I heard,” She smirked before pointing at his neck. “Everyone kept saying they were bad, but I didn’t think they’d be  _ that  _ bad.” 

Newt groaned, “Why does everyone have to point it out? It’s not like I don’t know that it’s there.”

She only chuckled, holding out a hand and blocking Thomas when he tried to slip by her and go to Newt’s room without being noticed. “Ah, ah, ah, Thomas. Don’t think you’re getting away that easily.” His cheeks turned pink. “Newt, go on and head to your room. I wanna have a talk with little Tommy here.” He tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary and she was being annoying but she cut him off before he could even get a word in. “Don’t even try it, go to your room, he’ll join you in a minute.” Despite him being a half foot taller than her, he knew not to mess with her. She was literal hell on heels when she wanted to be. He sighed in defeat and did as he was told. 

He’d just gotten Disney plus pulled up when Thomas came into the room, eyes wide and face red. “Oh my god, she can be so scary.” He flopped down next to Newt, still in a daze.

“What did she say to you?”

“Oh you know, just the usual ‘if you break his heart’ speech. With quite a few death threats thrown in. Nothing much.”

“I’m sorry, she can be a bit of a twit sometimes.”

Thomas laughed, “Nah, it’s fine. She’s just being a good sister.” He pulled back the covers and buried himself beneath them. Despite always being cold, Newt liked his room to be on the chillier side. It was always easier to cover up under copious amounts of blankets than to practically strip naked due to the heat. He copied Thomas’ actions and laid next to him, farther than he would’ve liked but he wouldn’t admit to that. Once they both had gotten into a relatively comfortable position, he started the movie. There was almost constant shuffling throughout the first 30 minutes of the movie, and each movement led them closer inch by inch. Newt wasn’t even aware that it was happening until his head bumped into Thomas’ arm. Even though it wasn’t his fault, Thomas apologised, “Fuck, my bad, Newt.”

“No, s’my fault, I bumped into you.” He moved his head to a safe distance away from his arm, neck bent at an uncomfortable angle.

He saw Thomas staring at him from the corner of his eye. He was biting his lip in what seemed like deep consideration. “Newt?”

“Yeah?” 

“Do you wanna…” He trailed off and just opened his arms slightly. He was offering him a chance to cuddle. Newt took it without hesitation, practically leaping into Thomas’ personal space. He laid his head on his shoulder and tossed an arm across his chest. Thomas had one of his arms behind Newt’s neck, bent at the elbow so that his hand could wrap around and rest on Newt’s back, while the other one clasped onto his upper arm. It was like they were made for each other, fitting together like a lock and key. Newt felt incredibly relaxed, all previous symptoms of discomfort were gone. He could hear Thomas’ heartbeat. A steady thump in his chest that nearly lulled him to sleep. He wouldn’t let it though, not when he could just enjoy the time he got to spend in Thomas' arms.

As the movie continued, Newt could feel Thomas drawing random shapes on his back. Small circles and soft triangles among others. It made his skin tingle. He decided to return the favour and began smoothing out Thomas’ shirt, his thumb tracing back and forth. He could feel his breath evening out, both of them incredibly relaxed, just appreciating each other's presence. They were half-way through Ant-Man when Newt could feel his eyes sliding shut every few seconds. He tried to resist the pull of sleep, but he couldn’t do it anymore. At least he was still in Thomas’ arms.

-

He woke up cold, again. He sat up and sighed.  _ Why can’t I just enjoy one thing? Why?  _ He checked his nightstand for another note but couldn’t find one. He furrowed his brows as he pulled out his phone to see if Thomas had left him a message. He came up empty-handed. He walked around the house, searching the kitchen and bathroom for any sign of his existence. Nothing. He was disappointed, and rightfully so.  _ How could he leave without leaving me a note? Or a message for that matter. He just… left.  _ Newt went back to his room to get ready for school, about to pull on some clothes when he noticed that he’d fallen asleep in Thomas’ sweatshirt.  _ Should I give it back?  _ He considered,  _ It is his. But he left without saying goodbye. This could be a form of payback. Albeit a weak one, but it was still payback. Right?  _ He huffed and laid it on the back of his chair, he was going to keep it. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, put on deodorant, do his hair, etc. when he glanced in the mirror. His neck was still covered in the hickeys, but they were less prominent.  _ Thank God. Maybe today won’t be as bad, Minho should have gotten all the teasing out of his system by now. It was old news.  _ Or at least he hoped it was. 

He finished his business in the bathroom before heading to the front door and pulling on his shoes. He went to step outside, ready to hop into Thomas’ car for his ride to school, forgetting that he was not there, nor was he waiting for him. He groaned before heading to the garage and grabbing his bike.  _ It’s a miracle that this thing doesn’t have flat tires.  _ Since Thomas had almost always given him rides, his bike was left to collect dust, only being used maybe once a month. Hardly even that. He hopped on it and grabbed the little lock thing that would keep it tied to the rack. He let out a small whine of annoyance before making his way to school. 

_ This sucks. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, buckle up, we're about to get angsty ;)


	11. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another revelation that he had come to was that this couldn’t go on forever. No matter how upset it made him, it was the truth. It took him a whole class period to recognise why it had bothered him so much. With a thump of his head onto the desk, he figured it out. He liked Newt. He had a crush on his best friend. It took him another class to fully accept it. But at the end of the day, he knew that he would have to end things. He didn’t know when or how, but it had to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I'm probably only going to update once, maybe twice, a week now. And that's only because of school and the fact that I'm trying to keep these chapters well written above at least 3k. But I promise I won't abandon this. Anyways, enjoy!!
> 
> Thomas pov

Thomas woke up to Newt still curled into his side. _Newt always looks cute when he sleeps._ His hair was a complete mess with random sections sticking straight up. His mouth was slightly open, shallow, even breaths escaping it. Since his eyes were closed, Thomas could see and appreciate how long his eyelashes are. They brush under his eyes, resting on the skin there. _Fuck._ Thomas knows that best friends don’t stare and admire each other. _Why do I do this?_ **_You know why._ ** He just didn’t want to acknowledge the truth. If he did, it could ruin their relationship. And Thomas would _not_ let that happen.

He slowly detached himself from Newt, he didn’t want to wake him up. He grabbed his phone and checked the time. If he wanted to get ready and go to school on time he had to leave _now._ He quietly padded out of the room to the front door. He pulled his shoes on before opening the door, closing it slowly as he left. He ran to his car, started it, and pulled out of the driveway. He checked his phone, _gotta hurry._ Ignoring the speed limit entirely, he raced to his house. But whether he was willing to admit to it or not, him being late wasn’t his only excuse for leaving. 

-

He pulled up to the school and made his way to the door. He was just about to open the door when he realised something. He’d forgotten about Newt. He let out a string of profanities on his way back to the car, _how the fuck had he forgotten about Newt?_ He didn’t care if he was late now, not when he’d completely failed to remember that Newt didn’t have a car and, therefore, didn’t have a way to get to school. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Newt ride into the parking lot. He went to meet up with him halfway but Newt had other ideas. He sped past him and went directly for the bike racks. After he dismounted the bike he started walking toward the door, ignoring Thomas entirely. 

“Newt, wait up!” He didn’t. Thomas went to put a hand on his shoulder, “Newt? Are you al-”

“Am I alright?” He stopped, turned around, and put his hand on his chin in mock contemplation, “Despite the fact that I woke up alone with no note or message, worried about you, and had to bike nearly 10 bloody miles here, yeah, Tommy. I’d say I’m great.” Thomas flinched at his bitter and sarcastic tone. 

“Alright, I’ll admit it, I deserved that one. But, in my defense, I was gonna be late! I barely had any time to get ready and I didn’t wanna wake you up so I just left.”

“Yeah I get that but, like I said, you didn’t even leave me a message, let alone a buggin’ note. And I _know_ that it wouldn’t have taken you just a _minute_ longer to do so.” He crossed his arms, daring Thomas to challenge him. “That’s a shitty thing to do, Tommy.” 

Thomas deflated at his wounded face. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Newt’s features softened slightly. “I won’t do it again, promise.” He did his best to look serious, he _never_ broke his promises. Ever. Especially not the ones he made with Newt. “Now, let’s go to chem. Yeah?” He gave him a stiff nod and turned to continue walking. Thomas ran ahead to open the door for him, giving him a small smile as he passed. Newt didn’t smile back at him but he had dropped his scowl. Once they had both entered, Thomas matched his pace with Newt’s and put his hand on the small of his back, guiding him even though they both knew the way. Newt didn’t lean away from him so he considered that a win. They arrived to class and Newt took his seat with a small huff. Thomas sat down next to him and had the best (or worst) idea of the century. He looked around the room and saw that there were only a few students in the room with them so he reached over and gave Newt’s side the tiniest graze. 

His head snapped to the side, “Don’t even think about it, Tommy.” His eyes were wide, partially from fear. Thomas just gave him a smirk as he took both hands, grabbed him, and began mercilessly digging his fingers into his ribs. Newt erupted into a fit of stifled giggles. He tried to look upset but it never worked out, his body betrayed him each time. He repeated ‘stop’ over and over in small, breathless responses. He let out a few loud laughs here and there as he tried to pry Thomas’ hands off of him, earning them quite a few odd looks. He let go eventually, allowing him to breathe properly before receiving a harsh back-handed smack to the chest. “You son of a bitch, that is _not_ the way to get me to stop being mad at you. It’s the worst way really. Now I’m even more upset.” He panted with his hands on the desk, trying to steady himself. Thomas laughed and then went to wrap his arms around Newt. He flinched before being trapped in a bone-crushing embrace. 

“Aww, I’m sorry, _baby._ Kisses to make it feel better?” 

Newt tried to raise his hands so that he could cover his face, “Don’t you dar-” He was cut off as his face was peppered with small kisses. “Ugh,” was all he said after the onslaught of affection. 

“Feel better?”

“No.” _Stubborn._

Thomas leaned in and placed a kiss on the corner of his lips, “How about now?” He shouldn’t have done that. He _really_ shouldn't have done that. _Fuck._

Newt’s face had turned beet red. He opened his mouth to reply when Minho crashed in, literally. It looked as if someone had pushed him as he leaned backward and tried to grab the doorframe to steady himself. He was unsuccessful. He landed on his ass and slid a few feet before standing up and dusting himself off as if it never happened. 

“Oh. Hey, Lovebirds. Am I interrupting something?”

“Minho, what the hell?”

“What?”

“You just,” He gestured his hands, not knowing how to articulate what he just saw.

“Oh, that. Ask her.” He pointed through the doorway as if they could see who he was talking about. They didn’t have to speculate for long though because Brenda waltzed in at that moment with an incredibly satisfied look on her face.

“Hey, guys.” She greeted them with a bright smile, obviously proud of her small assault on Minho. He didn’t seem phased as he walked over and joined them, plopping down in his seat next to his previous foe. “Heard you guys had a little spat in the front of the school.”

“That wasn’t even twenty minutes ago!” Thomas let Newt go, but left one arm behind his back, hand resting on his hip. It was almost like he _had_ to be touching Newt. When he wasn’t he felt weird, like there was an itch in his hands that only Newt could soothe. Newt was a magnet and Thomas was the steel that stuck to him. _Get it together Thomas, if things keep going on like this, you’ll ruin everything._

“That doesn’t matter,” She dismissed him, “You know that whenever something new or exciting happens the entire school knows, naturally.” She gave them a grin as she pulled out a water bottle, offering them a sip if they wanted one. Thomas was the only one that took her up on the offer, trying to quench his incredibly dry mouth. His hand was on fire because of Newt. Before this whole ‘fake relationship’ thing he never noticed how _pretty_ Newt is. He’s got the smallest freckles on his nose, a couple escaping and doting along the rest of his face. He’s got soft hair that glows when the sun gets behind him. He’s got long, slim fingers along with a wide palm. Even though he’s 17 he has frown lines from scrunching his face so much. _You have to stop thinking like this. You have to stop. You have to stop. Have to stop. Stop. Stop. STOP!_

Thomas shook his head to clear his thoughts. He looked up and saw that everyone was staring at him. “What?” 

“Did you pay attention to anything we just said?” 

”Uhh...No, I have no idea what you guys were talking about.”

Brenda rolled her eyes and laid her elbows on the table. “I said, are you excited for the party tomorrow?”

“They’re having another one? On a Thursday? That makes no sense.” He couldn’t believe it, he was still recovering from his headache from the last party. 

“Where’s it at?” Thomas looked over at Newt and saw that he had some form of excitement on his face.

“Same place as the last one.”

“The big one?”

“Yeah,” she affirmed. Thomas didn’t know how he felt about this. On one hand, he was excited to go and spend the night at a party, as uncharacteristic as that was. On the other hand, he knew that the last party had led to some pretty unlikely situations and he wasn’t sure if he could prevent himself from doing those things again. He couldn’t let himself do that again. He didn’t know what it would mean for him and Newt. 

He was snapped out of his trance by a hand being placed on his knee. “Are you alright, Tommy?” Newt looked concerned, brows furrowed and mouth slightly opened. 

“What? Yeah, I’m good. Were you saying something?” He cleared his throat before sitting up, removing his arm from Newt, and placing it on the desk, using it to prop his head up. The itch in his hands was back. 

“I asked if you wanted to go to the party, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” _Ever the gentleman,_ he chuckled inwardly. 

“No, it sounds fun.” He reached for Newt’s hand, pulling it off of his knee and holding it tightly. The itch was gone. “We’ll be there.” He smiled at Minho and Brenda, but he knew that it didn’t reach his eyes. 

He was truly and utterly _fucked._

\- 

After school, he and Newt decided to head to the latter’s house. They placed Newt’s bike on the bike rack and drove off. On the way there Thomas went over the decisions he made throughout the day. He had to think about his actions before committing them. He had done too many things without thinking already. Like today in chemistry, he went on and kissed Newt without any prompting. There was hardly anyone there so he couldn’t say it was just for their little fake relationship. No, that one was all him. There was also the last party they went to. He remembered some things. Which is exactly why he told Newt differently. He couldn’t know that Thomas remembered _everything_ they did during their stupid little party game. 

He remembers what it felt like to finally kiss Newt and to be kissed back by him. He remembers the way his hands gripped the blond boy’s hips as if he never intended to let go. He remembers how he left those dark purple marks along Newt’s neck. And he remembers Newt. How he felt against him. The long fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. _The noises he made._ Thomas remembers those _very_ clearly. He wished he could forget it all, but he knew that he didn’t really want to. He wanted to keep those memories under lock and key. 

He remembered the game room and how he’d beaten Newt at air hockey. How he’d complimented him, telling him how he felt about his hair and eyes. Out of all the things he’d done that night, this was the one he’d wished he hadn’t done. He could chalk the rest up to drunken stupidness and teenage hormones, but this? He couldn’t deny this one. _Drunk words are sober thoughts,_ he recalls.

Another revelation that he had come to was that this couldn’t go on forever. No matter how upset it made him, it was the truth. It took him a whole class period to recognise why it had bothered him so much. With a thump of his head onto the desk, he figured it out. _He liked Newt. He had a crush on his best friend._ It took him another class to fully accept it. But at the end of the day, he knew that he would have to end things. He didn’t know when or how, but it had to be done. 

His daydreaming was cut short when he’d parked. He blinked a few times, trying to recall how he’d gotten there without paying attention. _Must’ve been on autopilot,_ he thought. It was reasonable enough, he couldn’t have even guessed the number of times he’d driven this route. Once they were in Newt’s room they both flopped down on the bed, arms splayed out wide with their feet hanging off. Thomas looked over at him and saw that his eyes were closed. He took that time to admire him. He studied the curve of his nose and the line of his jaw. The small shadow where his signature frown usually was. The hair that looked neater than normal, _he must've put gel in it._ The curve of his long eyelashes. And he could see the shape of his lips. The lips that he kissed and wanted to kiss again even though he shouldn’t. 

He looked away before Newt could catch him staring, reprimanding himself for his thoughts. He shouldn’t feel that way about his best friend. He shouldn’t want to be with him every night or want to hold hands with him every second of the day. He shouldn’t look at him the way he does. He shouldn’t want to kiss him for hours on end. But, he does. And he knows he can’t. He knows he can’t love Newt the way he wants to. He has to keep it strictly platonic. He can’t hold him or kiss him like he does in front of others. No, when they’re alone he has to keep his hands, and thoughts, to himself. He can’t lose Newt. He just _can’t._

-

They spent the rest of the day like they normally do, alternating between videogames and movies until Thomas left. He couldn’t handle it anymore, he had to leave or he was going to do something he would _definitely_ regret. The next day came all too soon, the dread of the party creeping up further and further. He made sure to pick Newt up the next morning, not wanting to have a repeat of the previous day. He could feel his ‘best friend’s’ gaze linger on him the entire day. He knew he was acting sketchy, but he had to. He couldn’t afford to slip up. Even Minho was concerned, asking if he was okay. He gave him the same answer each and every time.

The day passed too fast for Thomas’ liking and before he knew it, he was in front of the enormous house once more. His palms were sweaty as he opened the door, hesitating before walking in. 

He was immediately met with the smell of booze, it was stronger than last time. _Gally must be in charge of the drinks_. Nobody really knows how he gets his hands on such copious amounts of alcohol. He went directly for the liquor, if he was going to get through tonight he needed a few drinks. Just not too many. He took a shot of tequila to get his blood pumping before deciding to fill a fourth of his cup with bourbon. He thinks it was Jim Beam but he wasn’t sure, he didn’t really care. 

He heard Newt let out an airy laugh beside him. “In a hurry there, Tommy?” He didn’t reply. Newt slid past him and grabbed a beer from the fridge, his usual drink of choice. “What do you want to do this time?” He leaned against the countertop, one hand steadying him while he took a swig of his drink. Thomas watched him as he swallowed, eyeing a droplet that escaped his lips and trailed down Newt’s neck. 

“We could go and try and find that gold room again.” He cleared his throat and forced himself to look down at his shoes. “Y’know, the one with all those books.” Newt nodded before taking him by the hand and leading him up to their destination. Seeing as they were there only a few days ago, it wasn’t that hard to find. The door was already open when they went in and a few cups were strewn across the room, all placed on the tables luckily. Despite someone's previous presence, the room appeared to be empty. Thomas went for the bookshelf this time while Newt went for the bed. He stared at the towering shelves before choosing a red book with the words on the spine worn off from obvious use.

“What’s that one about?”

“I’ve no idea,” He showed Newt the book from across the room as if he could see it, “It’s in Latin.”

“Latin? Who the shuck has books in Latin anymore?”

“Rich people, apparently.” He put the book back in its rightful place before picking up another. It was in Latin too. He scoffed and shook his head, Newt was right. Who the hell keeps books in Latin? He made his way over to Newt and sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from him. _This was going to be a rough night_.

“Tommy?” He turned his head to find the blond twiddling his thumbs. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything from the other night?”

He gulped, he couldn’t let Newt know that he did. “I don’t remember much, no.” _Please don’t press on this, Newt._ But, of course, the universe hates him.

“What do you remember?” He’d sat up and crossed his legs, looking at Thomas in a way that made him feel like he could melt onto the floor that very second. 

“Uh…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I remember finding this room. And us play fighting, but after that, it starts to get a little fuzzy. I vaguely remember sitting down next with Minho, but I don’t really remember the closet. I-I mean only what- what you told me, of course.” _Smooth, Thomas. Real smooth._ “After that, nothing. Nothing at all.” He could see the way Newt was scrutinizing him. He knew he was lying. 

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s it?” His jaw fell slack at the dismissal. 

“Yes, Tommy. That’s it.” He laid back down and propped his head up with an arm. “You were plastered that night, it’s understandable that you don’t remember much.” He tried to be nonchalant but Thomas could tell that he was far from it. 

He laid down and matched Newt’s position. “I- alright.” If he didn’t want to talk about it anymore Thomas was more than okay with it. 

They were silent for a few minutes, the only sound in the room being their breathing. Thomas closed his eyes and laid his head back all the way, mind racing. Newt knew he was lying. He knew something was up. And he _always_ found out what it was. He couldn’t keep this act up any longer. He knew that it was going to blow up in his face if he didn’t end this, and soon, but he just couldn’t muster up enough courage. This was his only excuse to be with Newt the way he wanted. This was his excuse to hold him, cherish him, _kiss him,_ without revealing his true feelings. It was all a lie. Newt didn’t feel the same way about him, he was only doing this because Thomas wanted him to. They were always there for each other, but he had taken it too far this time. 

He doesn’t even remember why he came up with this idea in the first place. Most people don’t think about dating their best friend to make their ex feel jealous. They may date other people, but they don’t date their _best friend._ And the odd thing was that people hadn’t acted shocked. They acted as if they knew it was inevitable. Like they knew the entire time. How could they see that Thomas liked Newt without him seeing it himself? 

He was pulled out of his internal crisis when he felt Newt climb to his side, throwing one arm across his chest and burying his head into his shoulder. Thomas wrapped his arm around him on instinct. He sighed. He wished they could stay like this forever. Together. But it wasn’t the same for Newt as it was for Thomas. Newt saw this relationship as platonic, but Thomas wanted it to be more. He wanted it to be romantic. He could feel the love coursing through his veins for Newt and he hoped Newt could hear it in his heartbeat.

They were interrupted from their blissful moment by a giggling drunk couple stumbling into the room. Upon seeing them, one covered their mouth to stifle their laughter while the other hiccuped before apologising and leaving to continue their journey down the hallway. Newt raised his head to stare at Thomas and he stared right back until they burst into their own laughter. The blond ended up choking on his spit and sat up abruptly, going into an intense coughing fit. Thomas patted his back repeatedly as he regained control of himself. 

“Are you alright?” Thomas asked as he was wiping tears from his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good now.” He let out another chuckle and looked at Thomas, eyes sparkling with mirth and cheeks pink. _He looks beautiful,_ was all that Thomas could think, everything else was knocked out of his head. Nothing else mattered, only the boy in front of him. He could feel his eyes trail down his face, first seeing the blush on his cheeks from the excitement, then the smile lines near his nose, before settling on his lips. Rosy pink and slightly open due to his panting. 

He hadn’t realised he was staring until Newt spoke, “Tommy?” He looked up in time to see brown eyes flick up from his own lips to make eye contact. His one-worded question asked thousands more, all of them Thomas couldn’t answer. 

He cleared his throat and pulled back, regretting it instantly. “Yeah?” 

He could see the gears turning in Newt’s head along with the hurt that momentarily crossed his face. “Nothing.” He looked down at his lap before smiling at Thomas once more. “What d’you say we go downstairs?” The smile hadn’t reached his eyes.

-

They mingled downstairs for half an hour, sipping their drinks in between. They ran into Winston again and Newt hugged him in greeting. “Hey man! Long time no see!”

“Same goes for you, I thought you’d fell off the face of the earth!” They both laughed. “How have you been?”

Newt shrugged, “Oh you know, the usual. Nothing new.”

Winston looked at him like he was dumb, “Really? Cause I think that-” he pointed at Thomas “- is pretty new.”

“Hey, I’m right here!” He laughed. He liked Winston, he was a funny guy. A little weird, but funny all the same.

“Yeah,” Newt looked at him and Thomas could feel his face flush, and it wasn’t from the alcohol. “I guess he’s new.”

It was almost like Winston could feel the shift in the air. He looked between them awkwardly before excusing himself. “Alright man, it was nice catching up with you. Text me sometime yeah? That way I know you’re not dead,” He laughed and tilted his drink to them before disappearing into the crowd. 

Thomas turned to Newt, “Alright! Enough with the mingling,” he wiggled his fingers for effect, “Let’s go find those infamous party games.” Newt gave him a nod and they headed for the room containing said games. There was another game of seven minutes in heaven going on so Thomas immediately directed Newt in the other direction. There was spin the bottle, suck and blow, a few others he didn’t remember. There was one in the corner, though, that seemed innocent enough. They strode over and were about to sit down until they saw Minho beckoning them over. He was playing the same game so they shrugged and went to join him.

“Hey, Minho!” Newt greeted him, clapping a hand on his shoulder before sitting beside him. 

“How’s your ass?” Thomas attempted to be serious but after receiving a scowl from both boys, he couldn’t hold in the laughter anymore. 

“It’s fine thank you very much.” He feigned annoyance, but Thomas knew better.

“I’m just fucking with you man,” He tried to calm down, barely succeeding.

“I know,” Minho’s face broke into a grin, “Now, after that burning insult, let’s play truth or dare.” He gave them both a mischievous smile so wide it was scary. 

“Oh, Min, come on, no.” They really had to stop sitting with Minho at parties.

“Oh, Tommy, live a little.” Newt gave him a look that made him sit down so fast he didn’t think twice. He groaned, Newt was going to be the death of him. Both boys gave him a smile in return. A few truths were thrown around, but it was mainly dares, Thomas hadn’t really been paying attention until he heard someone call Newt’s name.

“Newt!”

“Y-yes?” He’d gone red as a firetruck. 

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare?” 

The person emitted a small ‘yes’ before talking with the few people around them to come up with a sufficient dare. “I dare you to… lick the floor.”

Newt’s face immediately morphed into one of disgust. “Are you joking?”

“Nope. A dares a dare.”

He let out a small groan before leaning down to the ground and licking it, Thomas flinching for him. As soon as it was over he gagged and ran to the kitchen either to throw up or wash his mouth out. Probably both. The group erupted into laughter as Thomas got up to follow his boyfriend. _Fake_ _boyfriend,_ he had to remind himself. He saw Newt bent over at the sink, head under the tap to rinse his mouth out. He was about to call out his name when a pair of strong arms grabbed him and whisked him out of the room and began pulling him toward an empty room. It was dark so it took his eyes a minute to adjust but he didn’t need them to as he was once again met with steel-blue eyes. 

He groaned, not caring to hide his annoyance, “What do you want, Teresa?”

“I just want to talk.” She crossed her arms defiantly. “I want to talk about us.”

“What is there to talk about, Teresa? We’re done. Or have you been too busy sucking face with Aris to remember?” He knew it was a low blow, but it was one that she deserved.

“You know that’s not fair, Tom. I was drunk.”

“Yeah, you said that. And I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Why? You used to love it when I called you that.” 

“Exactly. _Used to._ Keywords there, Teresa. And I only let you get away with it because I loved you, and I thought you loved me back. It’s crazy how wrong I was.” He shook his head, he couldn’t believe that she had the audacity to call him by that stupid fucking nickname after what she’d done.

“But I do love you, Tom.” She reached out a hand and placed it on his chest. “I always have.” She leaned forward, eyes trained on his lips.

He shoved her back, “Are you fucking kidding me, Teresa? Have you gone mad?”

She huffed and looked away for a second before meeting his eyes again. “Do you love him?”

“What?” His mind had gone blank, only leaving his burning hatred behind.

“Do you love him?” She spoke louder now and stared into his soul with those eyes of hers. They used to be one of his favourite things about her, but now all he could see was how cold the blue inside them really was.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Newt you idiot!" She shouted, the anger letting out of her like a dam had finally broken. "I saw you two on Monday, all over each other." She was talking with her hands now, making wild gestures in every which way. “And now, you’re even using his vocabulary! Who the hell says ‘mad’?”

"Is that what this is about? Newt?"

"No, it's not about _him_ . It's about _you_!” She pointed a finger at his chest, “You've had an entire personality change!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Teresa. I'm sorry my life doesn't revolve around you anymore." His words dripped with venom. She could only exhale, her anger was spent. She knew she wasn’t going to get him back. “Don’t fucking talk to me, you fucking witch.” With that he stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door behind him. The people occupying the hall gave him odd looks, they’d heard everything, no doubt. 

Thomas felt like his brain was going to explode. The music was too loud. The room was too hot. The lights were too bright. He had to get out of there. He ran down the hallway, immediately searching for the door. He found his target and began darting for it. He would’ve made it, too, if it wasn’t for the body he collided with on the way there. It was him. It was Newt. 

“Tommy! I was looking for you! I was so worr-” His hands came up to grasp Thomas’ shoulders and steady him. He pushed them away, turning and trying to keep heading for the door, but a hand wrapped around his wrist, “Tommy! What’s wrong?” The room was spinning, he had to leave, it was all too much. Teresa was too much, his thoughts were too much, this fake relationship was too much. _Newt was too much._

“I- I can’t do this anymore, I’m sorry, Newt.” He peeled his hand off his arm, “I can’t do this anymore, I have- I have to go.” He ran out of the house, feeling terrible that he had to leave Newt alone, again. But he had to get out of there. He didn’t even take his car, he just let his feet carry him home, running away from his problems like always.

  
  



	12. Love and Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He leaned back to look him in the face and saw a tear run down Minho’s cheek before he wiped it away. 
> 
> “Come on now, you’re making me get all sappy,” He let out a shaking breath before steadying himself. 
> 
> Newt let out a soft laugh, “You think you’re sappy? I’m drunk on the floor of some random person’s bathroom, puking my guts out, and ranting to one of my best friends about my disastrous love life. I think I’ve got you beat.”
> 
> Minho shook his head. “Yeah, I guess you do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This one has a lot of Minewt in it because I love them 
> 
> Newt pov

_ What. _

Newt watched as Thomas ran out the door, leaving him all alone. Again. This seemed to be a common theme now. Thomas leaving for reasons that didn’t make sense, Newt being left behind with no explanation as to why. He wasn’t surprised anymore, not really, he was just more so disappointed. He and Thomas had always confided in each other, no matter what it was. But now he was being distant and just acting oddly in general. They would hardly make eye contact anymore, they hung out less and less, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t normal. Newt didn’t know what it was or how to fix it. If he knew what it was he would fix it in a heartbeat, no matter what it took. 

After standing still for what felt like days, Newt had decided on what he would do. He was going to get  _ drunk.  _ This was all too much to deal with when sober. He’d only been drunk a couple of times in his life, but what he did remember from each time was that he felt amazing. Until the next morning of course. But that was irrelevant right now, Newt couldn’t care less about the repercussions.

He marched over to the kitchen and grabbed the first bottle he saw. Taking a large swig of it, he winced. It was whiskey. He groaned, of course, it had to be whiskey. The same whiskey that Thomas had been drinking on Monday. The same whiskey that Newt could taste on his tongue during their seven minutes in heaven. He took another drink. And another, and another. He decided he was bored with the kitchen by his fifth sip so he took the bottle up to the gold room and laid down on the bed. His mind raced as he stared at the canopy ceiling of the bed. 

Was it something he did? Had he been too affectionate? He didn’t think it was that but he was trying to consider all possibilities. Trying to pinpoint the problem so he could figure out a solution and fix everything. Newt knew he was the problem. When was he not? It was always him, he brought everyone down. Nobody really liked him, he was just there, floating among the rest. They all must feel like they had to include him in things. But Newt knew they didn’t want to. He knew that they only acted as if they cared about him. That’s what everything was, an act. 

That was probably what ruined everything. The fake relationship. Thomas must’ve figured out Newt’s true feelings. That’s why he was acting weird. He knew that Newt liked him and it made him uncomfortable.  _ Newt  _ made him uncomfortable. It was all his fault. He was the one who agreed to this. He was the one who came up with that stupid list. He was the one who let his feelings change everything. It was all his fault. 

He assumed things started to go downhill after the list that  _ he _ came up with.  _ He _ was the one who suggested they take it up a notch.  _ He _ was the one who thought that it would be a good idea.  _ He _ was the one who let everything happen. That party was when things actually changed. He knew it was a bad idea. He knew things weren’t going to end well, and yet he let it all crumble to the ground like a fallen city. 

He sat up and leaned against the headboard, taking another sip. He must’ve been drinking more than he thought because the bottle was nearly half-empty. He took another gulp. This was going to be a bad idea, like everything else.  _ How much worse could it get?  _ He thought.  _ I’ve already lost my best friend. Pretty soon I’ll lose everyone else. What’s the point? _ Another swig.  _ How could I let that happen? How could I let my stupid emotions ruin  _ **_everything?_ ** _ How could I do that?  _

After a few more chugs of the burning whiskey, his mind started to drift to other places. Less dark ones thankfully, he didn’t want to go down that path. Not after he swore to everyone that he wouldn’t. Even if they didn’t care for him like they said they did, he cared for them with his whole heart. They were his everything, and he couldn’t do that to them. Not again. 

Another sip, the bottle’s almost empty.  _ I need another one,  _ he thinks. He wobbled back downstairs, tripping over his feet the entire way there. He doesn’t fall, thankfully, and heads for the kitchen. The bottle was now empty so he dropped it into the trash and grabbed another, smaller, bottle. This time filled with a clear liquid. He took a drink, if he were sober he probably would’ve spit it out, but his throat was already scorched and used to the burn so he kept it in. 

After he drinks nearly a fourth of what was left in the bottle, the room starts spinning. The floor falls and stretches beneath him. People’s faces distort and he’s hit with a strong sense of vertigo. He all but slams the drink onto the counter before trying to find the bathroom. He thinks he can see it, a door with a nearly blinding white light leaking from the inside, and is nearly there before he collides with what feels like a stone statue. He falls to the ground and looks up to try and identify the blockage. But it’s not a statue, it’s Minho. A hand comes down to help pull him up and another to steady him as he stumbles.

“Newt? Where’s Thomas? Are you alright?” He had to shout and lean forward so that he could be heard. 

Newt laughed, “I’ve no idea where Tommy is, he ran out of here earlier. Left me right in the hallway.” Minho didn’t reply, only looking at him in confusion. “Minho?” he can feel his stomach lurch, the bile rising to his throat, “I don’t feel so g-” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence. 

Minho dived out of the way just in time, nearly being covered in the contents of Newt’s stomach. He flinched as he saw it soak into the carpet, a white carpet no less. Once he finished, Minho very nearly carried him to the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Newt dropped down in front of the toilet and continued to empty himself out, retching again and again. He should  _ not _ have drunk that much. Minho just sat down and waited for him to finish, slowly rubbing circles into his back to try and help him calm down. 

Once Newt came to a stopping point, he flushed the toilet and leaned back to rest against Minho’s shoulder. He knew he looked like a mess, but he couldn’t seem to find the energy inside himself to care. He sighed before taking the rag Minho held out for him to wipe his face. He closed his eyes, willing nausea to go away. 

“Better?”

“A little,” He managed to croak out, throat sore. “Thank you, Minho.”

He gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, “It’s no problem man, you know I’m always here for you, right?” He craned his head to look down and make eye contact with him. “You can talk to me.”

Newt gave him a weak smile, “I know.”  _ Should I tell him?  _ He considered it, it would be nice to get it off his chest. To get a second opinion on things, an outside look. “Minho,”

“Yes?”

“I need to tell you something.” He gave him a small nod, telling him to continue. “This whole thing with me and Tommy, it’s fake. It was all an act.” Minho let out a small ‘oh’. Newt continued, “He wanted to make Teresa jealous and, like a proper shank, I agreed. I thought it would be simple, y’know? Just some hand-holding here and there, maybe some small kisses on the cheek, stuff like that. 

“But it wasn’t working, she wasn’t mad or anything. So, I suggested we take it up a notch. I created this stupid fucking  _ list.  _ A list, Minho. I think that’s where I fucked up. You wanna know what I put on there?” Minho gave him a small ‘what’. “I said that we should do things he wouldn’t do with her, like dancing and other stuff. I suggested that we be seen together more, spread more rumours, show off, stuff like that. And you know where that got me? It got me into the worst position ever. Because I was falling in love with my best friend. I was falling in love with Tommy, Minho. How could I let myself do that? 

“And that isn’t even the worst part. I think I could’ve gotten over it eventually. If it wasn’t for that party. That party was where it all went to complete  _ shite.  _ It started off okay, we had a few drinks, y’know, normal stuff, and we went around the house. Then we found that gold room upstairs. It’s a beautiful room, really, you should check it out.” He was rambling but he couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe he was just avoiding things. It didn’t matter. “But we were in that room, and we were messing around. Not- not making out or anything- we were just play fighting and stuff. And he ended up on my lap, and I could’ve  _ sworn  _ that it was on purpose. But it wasn’t, I guess. 

“And so after that, we went back downstairs and we ran into you. And we agreed to play that stupid game.”

“I’m sorry, if I would’ve known I wouldn’t hav-” 

Newt held up a hand to stop him, “It’s not your fault, Minho. Not at all. I was the one who agreed to play the game. I could’ve said no, but I didn’t, and that’s not your fault, Minho.” He turned a little to look Minho in the face, trying to convey his seriousness. “None of it is.”

“I know,” He looked down and winced, “That’s not the end of it though, is it?”

Newt scoffed, “Not at all.” He resumed his previous position but curled into Minho more, relishing in his warmth and comfort. “So when we went into the closet, I thought we weren’t going to do anything, I just thought we were going to talk. And then he kissed me.  _ He  _ kissed  _ me, _ Minho. And I went along with it, I couldn’t stop myself. And when I asked him why he said it was for the fake relationship, and I didn’t care. I didn’t care because I was getting what I wanted. And that was stupid. I think I thought from then on that we had  _ something _ going on. I thought that I would catch him staring at me, stumbling over his words at certain times, just  _ something. _ But I was wrong. I was so wrong, Minho. 

“And it gets worse!” He let out a dry laugh, one that was completely void of humour. “After that, we went off into the house again, but this time we found some game room. It had a pool table and a hockey table and other stuff. So we played some of the games, and we ended up playing pool. We were going through the game and I was winning, of course,” He gave him a small smirk, “And then all of a sudden he leaned up on me and started telling me how pretty I was. He told me how much he liked my hair and my eyes. And it was weird because no one was there, I can sort of understand the seven minutes in heaven game, sort of, but this didn’t make any sense. He didn’t have to say that, no one was there to see him say it. It was… unnecessary I guess.

“And that definitely didn’t help me get over things. In fact, it made it worse. Which goes without saying.” Minho gave him a small nod, acknowledging him and showing that he was still listening. “Then we started dancing. And that was… very unlike him. Especially the way we danced, he’s such a tease.” He faced Minho again. “Like literally the worst, like he had his thigh between my legs and-”

“Dude! Ew, I don’t need to know every single detail,” He laughed and Newt did the same. 

“Sorry, got a little off-topic.” He gathered himself again, “And then Teresa came by and talked to him, I don’t know exactly what she said, but it upset him. So I took him home and tucked him in. Y’know, gave him some Tylenol, played with his hair and such. And then he fell asleep, curled into me no less. I’m sorry this is taking so long, it’s just a big mess.”

“It’s not taking long at all. I’ve got nowhere to be and I don’t think you do either so take your time. Tell me what you need to.” 

Newt smiled at Minho, “Thank you. I swear, sometimes I don’t think I deserve you.” Minho waved at him in dismissal and gave him a ‘hush’. “But really, I don’t. After all the things I’ve put you guys through… I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys didn’t want to deal with me.”

“Newt look, I know you think that you’re a burden on everyone, but you’re not. And I will tell you this any time you need to hear it. You’re not a burden on  _ anyone, _ Newt. You are so loved. So valued. I don’t know what I’d do without you honestly. You’re always there for me, you’ve always supported me no matter what, and… I love you, man. And I mean that. I’ll be here for you anytime you need me. All you have to do is ask. I love you, Newt, and don’t forget that.” 

The tears that had been brimming Newt’s eyes finally fell. Minho meant so much to him, and hearing those words, no matter how many times he’s heard them before, are like a breath of fresh air. They open his lungs and he feels like he can breathe again. Like his chest isn’t being crushed. They close the hole that his brain widens with every doubt and unlikely suspicion. He completely turns and captures Minho in the biggest hug he’s ever given. Reaching his arms as far as they can go and then some, clutching onto him as if his life depends on it. And, in a way, it does. He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Minho. He wouldn’t have gotten through his dark days, or anything really if it wasn’t for him. He was his best friend. Most people think you can only have one best friend, but that’s untrue. Minho and Tommy were his best friends. And he needed both of them. 

Newt let out a soft sob, “I love you too, Minho. I really do.” He leaned back to look him in the face and saw a tear run down Minho’s cheek before he wiped it away. 

“Come on now, you’re making me get all sappy,” He let out a shaking breath before steadying himself. 

Newt let out a soft laugh, “You think you’re sappy? I’m drunk on the floor of some random person’s bathroom, puking my guts out, and ranting to one of my best friends about my disastrous love life. I think I’ve got you beat.”

Minho shook his head. “Yeah, I guess you do. Do you wanna head over to my place? It’s closer and you can stay the night if you want.”

“Oh, please,” he groaned. “My head is killing me.” Minho let out another chuckle before helping him off the floor and out to his car. 

-

Since Minho’s family did have a fair amount of money, everyone always assumed that his house would be huge with a modern interior design. But it was the complete opposite. It was a relatively common size, although all their ceilings were done in the raised style. Their living room had mainly neutral tones, soft browns, and creamy whites, with exposed beams seemingly everywhere. They had a small fireplace with a TV mounted above it and family pictures decorating the mantel. Cozy couches and a wooden coffee table. They had lofty bookshelves rising from the floor to the ceiling with more photos on every few shelves. 

Their kitchen was also in a homey style but a touch more modern. White cabinets lined the walls with dark wood on the countertops. The island was in the middle of the room while the dining table was off to the other side, long to accommodate for friends and family should they come over. They had a large farm style sink that never had dishes in it. Small chandeliers bearing soft warm lights hung from the ceiling, unlike the harsh white bulbs that resided in most kitchens. 

They walk in and Newt is met with the heavenly smell of honey and oats, Minho’s house has always smelled like that. It was absolutely divine in Newt’s opinion. After making a pit stop in the kitchen to grab some toast and water, they went up to Minho’s room. His room was also pretty cozy, but it was more minimalist. All he had was his bed and bedside tables along with a small bookshelf and dresser. He had some of his pictures and medals hanging on the wall but other than that, there wasn’t much. Unlike the rest of the house, Minho’s room had light grey walls that were almost white. Newt liked Minho’s room, it’s minimalist style was always appealing to him. 

Newt sat down on the bed while Minho went to fetch him some overnight clothes. When he brought them back Newt took them into the bathroom to change. He looked in the mirror after he was finished. The clothes were baggy and they reminded him of when he borrowed Thomas’ clothes. The sweatpants he wore were also big, bigger than Thomas’ though. He had to tie them up with the string in the waistband. 

He walked back into Minho’s room to find him putting a makeshift bed on the floor. “What’re you doing?” 

“You’re gonna sleep on the bed and I’m gonna sleep on the floor so I figured I’d lay some blankets down.” He flattened the quilt he was laying down before looking up and smiling at Newt.

Newt waved his hand, “You don’t have to do that, Minho. I can go sleep on the couch or something.” 

“Nope, get in the bed.” He knew how stubborn Minho was so he obliged and climbed into the bed before covering himself with the duvet. “Do you still feel sick? Like do you think you’re gonna throw up again? Cause I’d rather not be puked on in my sleep.” 

Newt rolled his eyes, “No, I dont think I'm going to puke again.”

Minho gave him a wide smile, “Great. Are you ready to go to sleep? Or do you want to stay up for a little longer? I’m down for both.”

“Ugh, I’m so ready to go to sleep, it’s been a long day,” He groaned. It was true, from waking up alone to fighting with Thomas, to having to deal with him being weird all day. And don’t forget the party. He never wanted to go through anything like this again. But, due to his luck, he probably would. He hoped it would be a long time from now though. 

Minho reached up to the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off. The room was enveloped in peaceful and welcome darkness. “Sounds good. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Minho. Thank you, for everything.”

“No problem man, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

-

Golden brown rimmed blown pupils so dark that Newt felt like he could drown in their inky pools. He knew those eyes all too well. They were Thomas’. And they were looking at him with such intensity that Newt felt like all the air had been pulled from his lungs. So he sat there and let those eyes he loves so much scan over him, unable to do anything else.

“Newt?” Thomas had leaned forward.

“Yes?” He placed a hand on Newt’s cheek, cupping his jaw.

“Can I…” Newt nodded and closed his eyes, waiting for their lips to connect. 

And so when they didn’t, he opened his eyes in confusion and found himself with Thomas in the gold room he hated and loved at the same time. Again, he was met with brown eyes. But this time Thomas was sitting on top of him as he had done on their first night in the shiny room. He was looking down at him with that fond, crooked smile of his before it turned into a full-on grin. 

“I don’t think you know what you’ve started, Tommy.”

“I think I know exactly what I started.” His hands found their place at Newt’s sides and he leaned down. Again under the premise that they were going to kiss, Newt closed his eyes. They snapped back open when fingers dug into his ribs and he lurched forward, only to be held down by Thomas’ weight. 

“Tommy!” He wiggled around, trying to escape his grasp but, like always, he was unsuccessful. “S-stop! Tommy, stop!” All he got was a giggle in response as Thomas moved his fingers faster, effectively making Newt nearly stop breathing from how much he was laughing. 

“Please, Tommy, please.”

And it was only then that he stopped, chuckles dying down as he smoothed out Newt’s shirt. It had risen in their tussle, leaving a fairly large strip of his stomach out. His hands grazed the exposed skin and Newt gasped. Thomas’ eyes immediately shot up to Newt’s face, mouth open and a blush rising on his cheeks. Newt could feel the colour appear on his face as well. Thomas repeated this action and drew the same sound from Newt’s lips, closing his mouth and making an obvious gulp. He moved to place his hands by Newt’s head and it took everything in his power not to moan at the slight friction. Thomas leaned down and stopped just an inch before Newt’s face.

“Tommy?”

“Yeah?” His eyes were trained on his lips, unmoving. Newt reached for Thomas’ face and pulled him downward, their lips had only just grazed before they were gone again. 

Once his eyes opened, he was greeted with Thomas and a dark room. He wanted to groan but he couldn’t remember why, and he didn’t care because burnt honey eyes were looking at him as if they wanted to devour him. And Newt wanted that, he wanted that very much. He wanted Thomas to ruin him in that very moment, consequences be damned. He laughed inwardly,  _ I’m pulling a Thomas, going headfirst into things without thinking.  _

He wanted Thomas, and he could tell that Thomas wanted him. So he surged forward and placed his hands on his chest, pressing their lips together so fast it rivaled the speed of light. If hearts could actually break, Newt’s did as Thomas immediately stepped back and pushed Newt away from him. 

“What the fuck, Newt?” The look in his eyes had turned to one of disgust.

“I- I’m sorry, I thought- I thought that we, uh, we-” He stammered, his chest was pounding and he could hear his blood rushing through his veins.  _ Oh god, oh fuck, I messed everything up.  _

“Thought that we what, Newt?” His gaze was hard and unforgiving. “Did you think that this was real?” 

“I- don’t we have  _ something _ going on? I thought,” he took in a large breath, he needed to steady himself. “That you… you might’ve liked me.”

“ _ Like you? _ Newt, we’re best friends!”

“I know! But this whole- relationship thing-” He waved his hand in the air, now speaking with his hands. “It- it did something.” He finished and gave Thomas a hard stare.

“What did it do, Newt? It was all fake! It was all for show!”

“You mean to tell me that this meant  _ nothing _ to you?”

“Yes! I thought you’d have known that when you first agreed to this!”

“Yeah well, things change,  _ Thomas. _ ” He’d regretted the sentence as soon as it left his mouth. He  _ never _ called him Thomas. He could see the fire in his eyes, challenging him to say more. He didn’t. 

Thomas reached for the door handle. “What are you doing?”  _ Please don’t leave me, not again. Please. _

“I’m leaving.” 

He managed to grab him by the arm before he could, “No, Tommy, wait. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Don’t touch me.” He ripped his shoulder away from Newt before leaving. He stood there, alone and in the dark, as a sound came from what seemed like everywhere. He covered his ears as a piercing siren screeched out. He let out a scream of frustration, at the sound, at the situation, at himself, at everything.

-

Newt sat up, hands curled around sheets he knew weren’t his. He reached out a hand and smacked the alarm on the bedside table, nearly knocking it off. He looked down at the floor and found Minho, hair mused and eyes barely open. 

“Morning, shuckface.”

“Good morning to you too, Minho.” He sighed and flopped back down on the bed, cringing as his head collided with the pillows. “Ow.”

Minho stood, “Bet you’re really regretting all those drinks last night, huh?”

“Very much so, yes.” He groaned and put an arm over his eyes, they felt as if they were going to pop out of his head from the force of his throbbing headache. “I don’t think I can handle school today. Yeah, I’m definitely not going.” The events of last night and his absolutely horrendous hangover were reason enough. 

“Are you sure?” Minho was by his closet, picking out clothes to wear. “I’m pretty sure we have a quiz in chem.”

“I’ll make it up.” He could literally care less about chemistry right now, all he wanted to do was drown his sorrows in tea and shitty rom-coms. 

“Alrighty, you’re the boss, Newtie.” He turned and winked at his best friend before heading into the bathroom. 

-

Minho had offered to drop him off at his house on his way to school and Newt gratefully accepted. The ride over was silent, unlike most. Minho loved to have his music blaring every time he was in his car, but due to Newt’s headache, he graciously decided against it. 

Minho pulled up and stopped in front of Newt’s house looking over at him with concern and fondness at the same time. “Are you gonna be alright? I can stay if you want me too.”

Newt waved him off, “I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy, I can handle myself.” He gave Minho a grin and received one in response. “Thank you, Minho.” He just smiled at him as Newt climbed out of his car and made his way to the door, waving at him before he left. He sighed, what had he done to deserve such great friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So,,, I can't guarantee that I'll post on time next week because I'm going to be with family over fall break and I won't have access to my laptop :(
> 
> But as soon as I come back I'll post, promise! <3


	13. Phone Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh, hey, Newt. I just wanted to say I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have run out like that.” He paused. “And, I- I think we should talk. Yeah, we need to talk. I’m sorry, again. I’ll see you at school I guess. I’m sorry.” He sighed as he hung up the phone, ending the message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little longer than normal, I was on break and this chapter was oddly hard for me to write. Anyways, enjoy!!
> 
> Thomas pov

Thomas dreamt of Newt that night. Of all the things they could do together if Newt felt the same. He dreamt of them waking up together and having lazy morning kisses. Of them going on romantic dates at fancy restaurants and sitting on the pier. Of them laughing over some silly comedy movie. Of them completely ignoring a movie because they’re distracted by each other. He dreamt of them  _ together. _ Newt wasn’t just someone you had wet dreams about, he was someone you dreamt about having a  _ future _ with. Someone you dreamt would be in your life forever. 

His fantasies came to a close when his alarm went off. He stretched before sitting up and yawning. He sat on his bed for a while, trying to find the energy to get up and get ready. He eventually did, managing to take a shower, get dressed, and brush his teeth. Before he left the house he found himself sitting at his kitchen bar with his finger hovering over the call button on Newt’s contact. He pressed it. It rang three times before being sent to voicemail.

“Uh, hey, Newt. I just wanted to say I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have run out like that.” He paused. “And, I- I think we should talk. Yeah, we need to talk. I’m sorry, again. I’ll see you at school I guess. I’m sorry.” He sighed as he hung up the phone, ending the message.  _ Very eloquent, Thomas.  _ He chided himself,  _ that was absolutely horrible. He’s not going to want to talk to you.  _

He groaned as he got into his car, resting his head on the steering wheel. “Get it together, Thomas. Get it together,” he spoke aloud, trying to get his thoughts in check before heading to school.

He pulled up at Newt's house out of habit and waited on the street for a while, seeing if he would come out. He even honked the horn, but nothing happened. He sighed and finished his drive to school.  _ He must've gotten a ride from someone else. Figures. I mean what did I expect? That he was just going to act like last night didn't happen at all? _

As he made his way into the school parking lot he looked to see if Newt's bike was hooked into the bike racks. It wasn't. He was starting to worry. He hopped out of his car before speed walking through the front doors. He went to Newt's locker to see if he was there but he was nowhere to be found. He practically ran to Minho's locker and found him talking to Brenda. 

"Minho!" He shut his locker with more force than necessary and turned around to face him.

"What is it, Thomas?" His voice sounded annoyed and tight.  _ What's up with him? _

"Have you seen Newt?" He was panting by the time he finally reached them.

"Yeah, I saw him last night. After you left him." His face was blank but Thomas could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"I-" He went to scratch the back of his neck.

Minho held up a hand, stopping him before he could finish his sentence. "No excuses for this one, Thomas. You left him there plain and simple." He turned to Brenda and asked if they could have a moment alone, she nodded and walked away. "He told me everything." Thomas' jaw dropped.  _ Wasn't expecting that one. _ "How could you do all that? Lead him on for so long? You really hurt him, Thomas." Even Minho's face looked dejected. 

"But I didn't mean to!" He flailed his arms in front of him.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't mean to." His voice had risen slightly. 

Thomas leaned next to him and placed his forehead against the lockers. "What should I do, Minho?"

He sighed, "I think you need to leave him alone for a little. Give him some space." He leaned against the lockers too, but with his back against them. "And you need to get your shit together. I mean the way he described everything? It sounded like you meant everything you did, and like you did it all on purpose. The closet, game room, and the gold room were telltale signs. And now he thinks that you were just messing with him the entire time. He genuinely believes that it was all for show." He pointed a finger at Thomas. "But I've seen the way you look at him. It wasn't for show was it?"

"I-" Minho gave him a warning look, one that said ' _ you better tell the truth.' _ He sighed, there was no point in lying, especially to him. "No, it wasn't for show. I just didn't want to push any boundaries you know? I found myself wanting more and more. I wanted it to be  _ real _ , Minho." He stared at his shoes, "I still do."

"Well, then you need to tell him that. He's absolutely head over heels for you, Thomas. And you're a shucking idiot if you can't see that." The bell went off. "Now come on. Let's go to class." He started walking away and Thomas followed him.

-

He spent the whole day much like the one before, thinking about Newt. He scoffed at himself multiple times in disbelief, how could he not have seen it? All the lingering touches and small smiles. The way he admired Newt. His constant desire to be around him. The way he cared less and less about making Teresa jealous. The way he looked at Newt. The things he thought about him. The way he cared about Newt. The way his world revolved around Newt. How could he not have seen it?

-

He snatched an apple from the fruit bowl in the kitchen before heading to his room and nearly slamming his door.  _ Why? _ Was all he could think. Why did he come up with this? Why did he think this would be a good idea? Why had he decided to go through with it? Why did he let it get this far?  _ Why did he fall in love with his best friend? _ He groaned so loud that it was almost a scream.

He took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Newt's contact info. He stared at it for a few moments before pressing the lock button on his phone to prevent himself from calling him again. He sighed and closed his eyes, but when he did all he could see was Newt. His hair, his eyes, his hands, his smile, his frown. And he could hear his laugh. It was his favourite sound. He used to think it was cheesy when people said that someone's voice was 'music to their ears', but now he knew that it's possible. He could listen to Newt's voice for every moment of every day and never get annoyed. He would die happy if it was the last thing he heard. 

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to distract himself by seeing if he could find faces and shapes in the patterns. It only worked for a moment before his mind trailed back to his best friend. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to talk to him. He grabbed his phone once again but this time he pressed the call button.

Like before, it went to voicemail after a few rings. "Hey, Newt. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay," he paused, trying to think of something else to say. "I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry I left. Please call me back." He ended his recording and threw his phone across the bed. He raised arms and shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

He waited twenty more minutes, all spent checking his phone every 3 seconds, before calling again. "Uh, hi, Newt. I'm sorry I keep calling, it's just… I missed you today and it would be nice if I could hear your voice. Please talk to me. You don't even have to call, but please, at least text me. I just need to make sure you're alright. I miss you. I'm sorry." 

Another twenty minutes. "Newt,  _ please _ . Please tell me you're okay. I'm so sorry. You have every right to be mad at me but I just wanna talk okay? Please, Newt, call me back." He ended the voicemail. 

He couldn't even wait twenty minutes, this time it only took him ten before he reached for his phone and pressed the call button for the fifth time that day. It rang two times and he prepared to give another voicemail. 

He didn't have to. " _ Stop calling me. _ "

"Newt! Wait i-" he was cut short when the line went dead. He held his phone in shock, looking down at it with bewilderment.  _ He actually answered.  _ He answered, but he didn't tell Thomas anything else. His voice sounded almost raw as if he had spent the whole day crying.  _ He probably did, and it's my fault. I did that to him.  _

He dropped his phone on the bed and began pacing the room. What was he going to do? Newt didn't want him to call anymore, but they desperately needed to talk. Should he go over to his house? Minho told him that Newt needed some space, and Thomas wanted to give that to him, but he was so  _ worried.  _ He didn't know what Newt would do. But he decided to stay home and give him the recommended space he needed. Thomas needed it too. What would he say when Newt finally decided to talk to him?  **_If he ever wants to talk to you again._ ** Thomas flinched at his own thoughts before shaking them off. This was Newt, and he was always there for Thomas, even when he didn't want to be.

They'd had fights before, granted they were never at this scale, but they were fights all the same. They had one in elementary school over who was Minho's best friend. That one had lasted nearly a week before Minho had convinced them that they both could be his best friend. And another one in middle school, this time over a girl that they both had a "crush" on. This was before Newt realised he was gay. It only lasted for three days before they agreed it was stupid. He came out to Thomas and Minho a month later.

But this was different. While the other ones were slightly bad, this one was absolutely catastrophic. The fallout had never been this awful. And it hit  _ hard. _ Thomas felt as if the air had been knocked from his lungs every time he thought about it, which was now quite often. He was constantly spluttering over his breath. After a few minutes of pacing, he finally had to sit back down on his head, his anxiousness was making him dizzy. 

His head swam as he tried to figure out a solution to his current circumstances. He had to tell Newt how he felt. He  _ had  _ to. He had to tell him how much he loved him and why he did all the things he did. Why he left time after time. He had to explain himself. And if Newt didn't want to forgive him, that was okay. Thomas strongly wished that it wouldn't come to that, but it was a possibility. And if it was the outcome, he would understand. After everything that happened, he could see why he wouldn't be forgiven. 

He laid down in the hopes that he could get some sleep, it wasn't working so he went to the kitchen to get himself a hot drink to help himself calm down. As he looked into the cabinet his eyes immediately landed on the box of peppermint tea bags, staring at it blankly for what felt like forever. He grabbed it and started boiling the water.

He took out his phone while he waited and pulled up his gallery, searching for pictures of Newt. He found one of them in the winter, sitting on a bench with the trees behind them covered in layers of ice. They had smiles on their faces accompanied by red noses and red cheeks. Another one showed them on a boat, shoulders sunburned, and skin tanned. One of them on a rollercoaster, Thomas mid-scream while Newt was laughing. One in front of The Glade. One of them out on the streets at night. Another displaying them posing with the new Star Wars poster. He smiled at all the memories as tears welled in his eyes at the thought of losing him. 

He poured the water into his mug and let the bag steep before putting in some honey. He sighed at the taste.  _ No wonder Newt loves it, it's absolutely delicious.  _ He went back to his room and continued to scroll through his photos. He couldn't imagine a life without Newt. He'd been there his whole life, and his mind couldn't even consider the possibility of losing him. 

He tried to think about how it got to this, trying to pinpoint where it all started. He thinks about the night that he found Teresa and Aris together and he remembers how his blood boiled when Newt kissed some other guy. Back then he must've thought that he was just protective and didn't want his best friend to get hurt, but now he realises that it wasn't the case. And he recalls all the cuddling that they did. It was normal for them, but only for them. Most people didn't cuddle as he and Newt did, completely pressed together and quite literally spooning. He thinks about all their little 'outings' that were actually dates, whether they acknowledged it or not. He doesn't know when his feelings started to deepen, but he could safely assume that they had always been there. 

He laid down and threw an arm over his eyes to try and stop the tears from leaving his eyes, he was never one to cry. He sniffled as he wracked his brain, trying to figure out a way he could fix this. He needed a plan, but the only problem was that he was absolutely  _ terrible _ at plans. They never seemed to work out like he had intended them to. After many, many, failed attempts, he didn't even try to come up with plans anymore, just a basic outline of what he was going to do and when he was going to do it. But he desperately needed a plan now, and he prayed to any God that would listen to him. Nothing came to him as always.

He finally let his tears flow, not caring anymore. All he cared about was Newt and he just may have lost him completely. What would he do without Newt? How could he  _ live  _ without Newt? The questions running through his head only made him cry harder, quiet sobs leaving his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get his breathing under control. When that didn't work he shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes so hard that he was beginning to see spots. He let out uneven and shaky breaths for several minutes before he calmed down, albeit only slightly. 

When he checked the time he saw that it was now 8 pm, which meant that he had been crying for nearly an hour. The last time he called Newt was around 6 pm and he still hadn't heard back from him.  **_Did you really think that he would? After what you did?_ ** He sat on his bed for thirty minutes, debating on whether or not he should go over to Newt's house. He decided that, yes, he had to, just to make sure he was okay. That was all he wanted. And with that, he gathered his things and ran out the door.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this is so short, i just didn't have any inspiration, i kept coming up blank. It sucked :/ But thank you for reading!! <3


	14. Why?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, yeah, you want to explain why you left me alone? Why you left with no reason whatsoever? Why you’ve been acting so weird? Please, Tommy, do so. I’d love to hear what excuse you come up with this time.”
> 
> “I don’t have an excuse, Newt. I swear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, we got some confrontation in this chapter! Hope you like it! :)

Newt was glad that his family wasn't home as he walked in, he couldn't deal with them right now. He was still in Minho's clothes, due to his persistence. ( _ "Your clothes literally have puke on them. I'm not going to let you put those back on. You can keep my clothes for now and just bring them back when you're done with them.")  _ He went to his kitchen to grab something to eat before heading to his room. He left the lights off as he crawled into bed.

Just as he was beginning to cover himself with the duvet, his phone went off. Groaning at the sound he picked it up and looked at the caller ID. It was Thomas. He sent it to voicemail with a scoff.  _ Did he really think that he would answer? After what he did last night?  _ Newt let out a small laugh.  _ Yeah, right. _ He got comfortable, snuggling himself into his bed and lying as still as possible. He was just about to fall asleep when a horn went off, making him jump. 

“Bloody hell…” He got up and peeked through his window, seeing Thomas’ car pulled up to his house. He scoffed,  _ is he serious?  _ There was no way in  _ hell _ he was going to get into a car with that shank. Especially under the circumstances. He went back to his bed, annoyed at the fact that he couldn’t get as comfortable as before, and tried to get some more sleep. God knows he needed it. But, of course, he couldn’t. His mind kept going back to the night before. 

They were having an okay time, he thought, so he couldn’t understand what went wrong. Thomas was acting a little weird, but he just got like that sometimes, all jittery and such. But something was off that night. Thomas was going through something, and he wasn’t going to tell Newt about it. And that upset him, it really did. They’d always been able to tell each other anything and everything.  _ Not anymore, obviously,  _ his mind pointed out. 

Now it was as if they were stuck in a limbo of sorts, not knowing what to do or where to go. Newt wished things could just go back to the way they were before. Well, he mostly wished they did. There was still a small selfish part of him that was happy things went like this. A part that was greedy and wanted more. He trampled down on those parts, trying to kill them off. He couldn’t think like that, if he did, things would only get worse. 

He groaned into his pillow, the frustration of his situation getting to him.  _ When did life get this hard? Why did it have to get this hard? What kind of sick game was God playing? _ He let out a dry laugh, his life was probably just entertainment to God. Just a little show for him to watch, leaving it to fall to pieces once he’d seen enough and got bored with it.  _ Well, fuck God.  _ He thought.  _ Fuck God and his stupid little shucking games.  _ Amid all his teen angst he started to drift off, falling into an uneasy slumber. 

-

He woke up with a start, fists clenched into his sheets. He must’ve had a bad dream, he vaguely remembered honey eyes and furrowed brows. He fell back onto his bed with a huff. After staring at the ceiling for a moment, his stomach let out a startling growl. He went to the kitchen and made toaster waffles. He knew they weren’t healthy but who cares? As he made his way back to his room he bit into them roughly, ripping off chunks with his teeth. He turned his TV on and switched it to the Hallmark channel. The movies were cheesy as hell, but they were always nice and made Newt smile, if only briefly. He glanced at his phone repeatedly and considered seeing if Thomas had left a message.  _ Do you really want to know?  _ He tried to tell himself he didn’t and that it would only make things worse, but he couldn’t help it. He had to know. He held the phone up to his ear. 

_ “Uh, hey, Newt. I just wanted to say I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have run out like that.”  _ There was a pause.  _ “And, I- I think we should talk. Yeah, we need to talk. I’m sorry, again. I’ll see you at school I guess. I’m sorry.” _

Newt sighed as the message ended. He did sound sorry, but that didn’t mean that he was going to immediately come crawling back to him. It didn’t mean that what Thomas did was okay, it most definitely  _ wasn’t. _ But Newt couldn’t help missing him. He wanted to hold him, to say that he forgave him and that everything was fine, but that would be a lie. He wanted to yell at Thomas. To tell him how much he hurt him and how much of an asshole he was. He wanted to kiss Thomas. To pour all his emotions into that kiss and try to show Thomas how much he loved him. 

_ Why does Tommy have to be so stupid?  _ His mind was a mess as he lay on his bed, the movie ignored and left playing in the background. He rolled over and dramatically screamed into his pillow,  _ Why did Tommy have to come up with this stupid plan anyway? He must’ve known it was going to end badly.  _ He couldn’t blame that entirely on Thomas though, he was the one who went along with the plan. But still, Thomas came up with it so it was mainly his fault,  _ right?  _

Any time he closed his eyes all he saw was Thomas. He saw his moles dotting his cheeks, his crooked smile, his messy hair, he just saw  _ Thomas.  _ Newt couldn’t get him out of his head. He sat and stared at the ceiling trying to keep his composure, he wouldn’t let himself cry. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t.

Did God hate him? Why did he always get so much shit? He couldn’t have anything it seemed. Anytime he had something in his grasp, it fell through his fingers like sand. God loved to tease him. Newt didn’t want to love Thomas, he didn’t want to ruin their relationship, but God had different plans apparently. He put Thomas right in front of him, made them best friends, and made Newt fall in love with him. God was a sick asshole. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, his phone rang again. 

It was Thomas. He stared at it before sending it to voicemail, he couldn’t deal with this right now. He knew he would leave another message, he just couldn’t handle talking to him. He wouldn’t be able to keep himself together. After a few minutes, he went to listen to the new message. 

_ "Hey, Newt. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay, I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry I left. Please call me back."  _

He locked his phone. It went off again only seconds later. He snatched his phone, colour flooding his face before aggressively hanging it up. He listened to the next message. 

_ "Uh, hi, Newt. I'm sorry I keep calling, it's just… I missed you today and it would be nice if I could hear your voice. Please talk to me. You don't even have to call, but please, at least text me. I just need to make sure you're alright. I miss you. I'm sorry." _

He closed his eyes, of course, Thomas knew how to pull at his heartstrings. He knew what he needed to say to get Newt to talk to him. He almost succeeded but Newt knew that he shouldn’t reply to him. As hard as that was, it was what he needed to do. A ringing noise made him flinch.  _ You’ve got to be kidding me.  _ After sending it to voicemail once again, he waited to listen to the message. 

_ "Newt, please. Please tell me you're okay. I'm so sorry. You have every right to be mad at me but I just wanna talk okay? Please, Newt, call me back."  _

Listening to these was not making his mental state better whatsoever. Maybe he should just _ \- BLOODY FUCKING HELL!  _ His phone showed Thomas’ name. 

Before he could say anything Newt cut him off with a sharp,  _ “Stop calling me.”  _ He heard Thomas try to object before he hung up. Hopefully, he got the message. Knowing Thomas, he probably didn’t.  _ Of course, Tommy would be all concerned,  _ he rolled his eyes,  _ when is he not? He just has to be so bloody  _ perfect,  _ doesn’t he?  _ Newt couldn’t name one bad thing that Thomas did, well, not on purpose anyway. He was always nice, always respectful, always caring, always  _ perfect. _

Newt didn’t think of himself that way. All he saw when he looked in the mirror was a disappointing mess. He couldn’t get anything right. The tears brimming his eyes threatened to fall. He grabbed a pillow and curled into it, tugging it close. It wasn’t Thomas but it was something to hold onto. He buried his face into it, letting the tears soak into the cover so that they didn’t streak down his face. 

He let out a choked sob, why did it always have to be him? Couldn’t he just get one nice thing? Couldn’t God give him just one pass? A little,  _ ‘here you go, Newt. Enjoy.’ _ Of course, he couldn’t, God hated him in that way. God had the audacity to dangle the things that Newt wanted on a stick right in front of him, always there, but out of reach. While others got to find love, and have it requited, he was stuck alone. He was always alone. Crying made him tired, so he fell asleep, and he didn’t want to wake up for quite a while. Maybe if he slept long enough, all his problems would go away. 

-

He felt the bed dip as fingers danced across his forehead, he hummed as they pushed the hair out of his face. He figured Minho had come over to check on him, it was something that he would do. “Mmm, thanks, Minho.” 

“You might want to try that again.” His eyes flew open as he sat up. It was most definitely  _ not  _ Minho. 

“What are you  _ doing here?”  _ Newt all but screeched, he could already feel the heat rushing to his cheeks. 

“I- I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and… I missed you.” Thomas looked like a kicked puppy. Newt wasn’t going to fall for it, not again.

“Alright, well, you saw me and can clearly see that I’m alright. Now leave.” He huffed, he could feel the venom dripping from his voice but he didn’t care. 

“B- but, Newt, please,” he was speaking with his hands, “please, I just want to apologise.”

“Yeah, I got that from the  _ five times you called me. _ So, thanks for that. Leave.” He was done, if Thomas stayed any longer this was going to get a lot worse. 

“I’m sorry about that.” He looked at his lap, bottom lip pouting a little.

“So you said, but sorry doesn’t fix everything, Tommy” Newt crossed his arms. He hated that look.

“Look- I know I shouldn’t have left like that last night,” Newt scoffed, “ And you have every right to be mad at me, but please just let me explain myself,” he pleaded.

“Oh, yeah, you want to  _ explain _ why you left me alone? Why you left with no reason whatsoever? Why you’ve been acting so weird? Please, Tommy, do so. I’d love to hear what excuse you come up with this time.” Sometime in between their conversation he’d gotten up and begun pacing the room. 

Thomas looked hurt, “I don’t have an excuse, Newt. I swear. The reason I’ve been acting so weird is because… because I- well, I-” 

Newt cut him off, he couldn’t stand the delay, “What’s this between us, Tommy?” He gestured between them. “Once we started this fake dating  _ bullshit _ things have changed. You’re different. You do these… these  _ things _ and I swear they’re on purpose.” He let out a breathy laugh.

“What  _ things?  _ What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the way you look at me! About how you act around me! About how you touch me! I know we’ve always been affectionate, but it’s different now. You do all these things that most best friends don’t do. You put your hands on my waist and you cuddle me and you  _ kiss _ me. And when you look at me I swear you feel the same way that I do about you. But I was wrong!” he let out a dry laugh. “You don't! And why would you? I’m pathetic! It was all for show! And to believe I thought this was real, how much of a fool can I be?” He turned and faced the wall, he couldn’t look at him anymore, it hurt too much. 

“But, Newt, I-”

He spun around and pointed a finger at him, “No! You don’t get to talk! You could’ve just told me you didn’t feel the same! You don’t get to tell me that you’re sorry for me or pity for me. I don’t need pity, Tommy. I just- I need you to leave.” Thomas’ eyes bore into his with something in them that Newt couldn’t name. Before he knew it, Thomas had strode across the room, grabbed Newt, and crashed their lips together. Newt froze.

He pushed him off, “Was this all a part of your plan? Make me fall in love with you just so that you can play with me? I'm not a shucking toy you can toss around, leave behind, and come back to. How dare you, Tommy. How  _ dare _ you."

Thomas looked at him in shock, “You… you love me?”

Newt could feel the tears stream out of his eyes now, “Of course I love you! I always have! And you don't care! You get what you want and then you leave.  _ You always leave me. _ " He flailed his hands before wiping his face.  **_ Great job, Newt. This just got better, he knew you liked him, and now? Now he knows you love him. You’ll never be able to fix this. You fell in love with your best friend and now you’re fucked. _ ** He let out a choked sob.

“Newt, look at me.” Newt shook his head. “Newt.” Thomas took a hand and guided his face. “You’re not pathetic, you’re not a fool, and you’re not a toy. Especially not to me.” Newt looked at him incredulously. “And I didn’t have a plan. I never meant for you to get hurt,  _ never. _ And I care about you, Newt. God, I care so much, “ His eyes watered. “The truth is, Newt- the truth is that I do feel the same way.

“You’re right, this dating thing  _ did _ change things. It made me realise how I felt about you. It made me realise how beautiful you are and how much I wanted to be with you. I found myself wanting to be with you more and more, I never wanted to leave your side. I still don’t. Even before all of this I loved you, I just didn’t know it. I can’t believe I didn’t, but it’s true. And now that things are different, I don’t want them to go back to the way it was before. I want to hold you and kiss you and  _ love you _ as an actual boyfriend should. I don’t want this to be fake anymore, I want it to be real. I want to be with  _ you _ .”

“ _ Oh.” _ Newt could only stare at him in shock.  _ I must be dreaming, there’s no way this is real.  _

“Yeah,” Thomas chuckled, “ _ oh.” _

“You better not be messing with m-”

Thomas surged forward, “Do you ever shut up?” He kissed him again and this one was different. This one conveyed everything they were feeling. Newt felt every emotion possible in that kiss. It was the want, the  _ need _ , they had for each other. It felt like the earth had stopped spinning. It felt like time had frozen. It felt like they were the only ones left in the world.  _ It felt real.  _

When they pulled away their bodies were completely pressed together, no space between them at all. They both had their eyes closed as they rested their foreheads against each other, unable to open them. They sighed, breathing in each other's air and Newt wished he could stay in that moment forever. 

“I’d say that’s a proper way to shut me up,” Newt smiled, lips brushing Thomas’ as he did. 

“Yeah, I’d say so,” he chuckled.

“Do it again.”

He did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is kinda short :/ I'm considering writing an epilogue?? Idk, I probably will, i just don't know when.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! <3


	15. Epilogue

Newt sighed as arms wrapped around his waist. “Morning.”

A kiss found its place on his shoulder, “Morning,” Thomas hummed.

“Did you sleep well?” He turned away from the breakfast he was making to look at Thomas, shirtless and in sweatpants.

“Yep.” another kiss, “How about you?”

Newt smiled, “Slept great, actually. Are you hungry?”

Thomas scoffed, “When am I not?” They both chuckled as they placed the food on their plates. Halfway into their meal Thomas asked, “If someone told you three years ago that we would be here, like this, would you have believed them?”

“No,” Newt looked down at the silver band wrapped around his ring finger. “I don’t think I would’ve.” 

They both grinned, “I’m glad it did though. I love you.”

“I love you too, Tommy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured since their journey has been so hectic and complex that a nice, simple, ending was a good choice :) But tell me what you think! I've really enjoyed writing this, and I plan to write more in the future. Thank you for all of the encouraging comments, they've really helped me. Once again, thank you for reading!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any feedback and/or tips it would be greatly appreciated! <3


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